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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. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  2. Don't do anything ________________.
  3. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  4. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  5. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  6. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  7. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  8. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  9. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  10. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  11. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  12. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  13. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  14. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  15. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  16. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  17. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  18. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  19. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  20. Where did you ________________ them?
  21. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  22. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  23. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  24. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — out of danger
  2. rash — hasty
  3. race — the arms race
  4. rash — on the skin
  5. squash — the sport
  6. mug — a face
  7. squash — to crush
  8. safe — a strongbox
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. safe — out of danger
  11. rock — a stone
  12. rash — a series
  13. mug — a cup
  14. rock — to move gently
  15. lie — to recline
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. field — farmland
  18. squash — the vegetable
  19. race — humankind
  20. mug — to rob
  21. field — for sport
  22. field — a subject
  23. rock — music
  24. race — a contest

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