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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. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  2. That was a fun ________________.
  3. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  4. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  5. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  6. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  7. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  8. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  9. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  10. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  11. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  12. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  13. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  14. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  15. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  16. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  17. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  18. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  19. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  20. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  21. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  22. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  23. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  24. The ball hit the back of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a hole
  2. game — a match
  3. track — a song
  4. race — the arms race
  5. shower — to wash
  6. face — to confront
  7. face — part of the head
  8. lean — to bend
  9. pit — a fruit stone
  10. game — a kind of play
  11. shower — rain
  12. shower — a meteor shower
  13. lean — to rest against
  14. net — after costs
  15. race — humankind
  16. game — wild animals
  17. face — to point toward
  18. net — for catching
  19. track — to keep track
  20. race — a contest
  21. pit — in a race
  22. track — a path
  23. lean — thin
  24. net — in sport

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