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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 girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  2. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  3. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  4. He was locked up in a ________________.
  5. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  6. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  7. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  8. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  9. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  10. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  11. I can't ________________ this cold.
  12. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  13. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  14. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  15. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  16. When was this ________________ built?
  17. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  18. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  19. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  20. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  21. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  22. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  23. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  24. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a line
  2. race — humankind
  3. face — to point toward
  4. cell — in a prison
  5. lean — to rest against
  6. face — to confront
  7. fall — the season
  8. row — a quarrel
  9. temple — a place of worship
  10. stand — on your feet
  11. stand — to bear
  12. cell — in biology
  13. temple — side of the head
  14. face — part of the head
  15. cell — a phone
  16. temple — a place of worship
  17. lean — to bend
  18. lean — thin
  19. race — a contest
  20. stand — for spectators
  21. row — to paddle
  22. fall — to drop
  23. fall — to drop
  24. race — the arms race

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