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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. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  2. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  3. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  4. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  5. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  6. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  7. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  8. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  9. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  10. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  11. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  12. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  13. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  14. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  15. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  16. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  17. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  18. He is an ace ________________.
  19. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  20. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  21. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  22. The ball is in your ________________.
  23. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  24. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. board — a committee
  3. bat — the animal
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. bat — in an idiom
  6. bat — for baseball
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. race — a contest
  9. board — to get on
  10. court — of a king
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. race — humankind
  14. board — a flat piece
  15. kid — to tease
  16. kid — child
  17. stick — to attach or keep to
  18. pitcher — in baseball
  19. lie — to recline
  20. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. court — for sport
  23. race — the arms race
  24. court — of law

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