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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  2. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  3. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  4. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  5. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  6. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  7. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  8. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  9. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  10. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  11. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  12. She's very handy with a ________________.
  13. He works in a ________________ mill.
  14. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  15. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  16. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  17. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  18. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  19. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  20. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  21. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  22. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  23. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  24. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. race — humankind
  2. wave — of the sea
  3. bat — the animal
  4. toast — the most admired
  5. lean — to bend
  6. race — the arms race
  7. toast — bread
  8. wave — with your hand
  9. fall — the season
  10. field — farmland
  11. field — for sport
  12. saw — the tool
  13. saw — the tool
  14. saw — past of 'see'
  15. lean — to rest against
  16. fall — to drop
  17. bat — in an idiom
  18. race — a contest
  19. lean — thin
  20. fall — to drop
  21. toast — a drink to someone
  22. field — a subject
  23. bat — for baseball
  24. wave — a sudden rise

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com