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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. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  2. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  3. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  4. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  5. He was locked up in a ________________.
  6. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  7. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  8. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  9. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  10. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  11. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  12. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  13. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  14. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  15. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  16. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  17. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  18. Don't do anything ________________.
  19. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  20. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  21. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  22. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  23. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  24. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. race — the arms race
  3. rash — on the skin
  4. fork — to eat with
  5. cell — in a prison
  6. bear — to put up with
  7. race — a contest
  8. face — to point toward
  9. rash — a series
  10. cell — in biology
  11. fork — a garden tool
  12. stick — to attach or keep to
  13. fork — in a road
  14. cell — a phone
  15. bear — the animal
  16. face — part of the head
  17. race — humankind
  18. rash — hasty
  19. bear — the animal
  20. bowl — to roll
  21. face — to confront
  22. bowl — a dish
  23. bowl — a football final
  24. stick — a piece of wood

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