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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 116 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. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  3. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  4. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  5. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  6. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  7. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  8. The ball is in your ________________.
  9. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  10. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  11. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  12. Have you found your soul ________________?
  13. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  14. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  15. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  16. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  17. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  18. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  19. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  20. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  21. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  22. Did you ________________ the meat?
  23. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  24. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. race — humankind
  2. drill — a practice
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. content — happy
  6. season — of the year
  7. drill — the tool
  8. court — for sport
  9. bat — the animal
  10. mate — to breed
  11. content — the amount
  12. mate — a partner
  13. hide — animal skin
  14. race — a contest
  15. season — in sport
  16. bat — in an idiom
  17. drill — army training
  18. bat — for baseball
  19. court — of law
  20. race — the arms race
  21. court — of a king
  22. season — to add flavour
  23. mate — a friend
  24. content — videos and posts

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