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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 124 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. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  2. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  3. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  4. The water is too ________________.
  5. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  6. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  7. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  8. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  9. The King held a masked ________________.
  10. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  11. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  12. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  13. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  14. He is an ace ________________.
  15. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  16. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  17. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  18. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  19. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  20. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  21. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  22. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  23. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  24. There's a computer ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. lie — an untruth
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. cold — not warm
  5. race — humankind
  6. race — a contest
  7. hand — help
  8. race — the arms race
  9. ball — a dance
  10. cold — an illness
  11. hand — in cards
  12. chip — for betting
  13. ball — a round shape
  14. pitcher — in baseball
  15. fan — to cool the air
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. hand — part of the body
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. cold — the Cold War
  20. ball — a great time
  21. lie — to recline
  22. chip — to eat
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. chip — in a computer

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