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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 120 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. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  2. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  3. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  4. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  5. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  6. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  7. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  8. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  9. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  10. There's no middle ________________.
  11. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  12. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  13. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  14. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  15. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  16. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  17. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  18. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  19. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  20. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  21. My mare is ________________ in color.
  22. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  23. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  24. I play ________________ in a jazz band.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — for baseball
  2. bay — to keep at bay
  3. bass — the fish
  4. bat — the animal
  5. bay — a part of the sea
  6. band — a rubber band
  7. rule — government
  8. bass — low music
  9. rule — to rule out
  10. ground — a position
  11. race — the arms race
  12. ground — crushed
  13. race — a contest
  14. rule — a law
  15. snap — to snap out of it
  16. band — a music group
  17. bat — in an idiom
  18. ground — the earth
  19. race — humankind
  20. snap — to speak sharply
  21. bay — a horse colour
  22. band — a ring
  23. snap — to click
  24. bass — the instrument

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