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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 president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  2. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  3. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  4. When was this ________________ built?
  5. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  6. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  7. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  8. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  9. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  10. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  11. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  12. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  13. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  14. When are we going to ________________?
  15. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  16. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  17. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  18. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  19. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  20. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  21. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  22. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  23. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  24. Boris sat near the fire ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — to crush
  2. land — ground
  3. net — in sport
  4. temple — a place of worship
  5. wake — before a funeral
  6. temple — side of the head
  7. pit — in a race
  8. squash — the vegetable
  9. race — a contest
  10. net — after costs
  11. temple — a place of worship
  12. wake — to stop sleeping
  13. race — the arms race
  14. land — to come down
  15. fall — to drop
  16. land — a country
  17. squash — the sport
  18. wake — a trail
  19. race — humankind
  20. fall — to drop
  21. pit — a fruit stone
  22. net — for catching
  23. fall — the season
  24. pit — a hole

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