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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 hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  2. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  3. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  4. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  5. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  6. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  7. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  8. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  9. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  10. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  11. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  12. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  13. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  14. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  15. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  16. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  17. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  18. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  19. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  20. The ________________ market has crashed.
  21. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  22. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  23. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  24. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.

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

Answer key

  1. lie — to recline
  2. chair — a leader
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. wind — to turn a key
  6. bowl — a football final
  7. chair — a professorship
  8. wind — moving air
  9. scale — for weighing
  10. craft — boats
  11. chair — to sit on
  12. race — humankind
  13. scale — size or range
  14. race — the arms race
  15. bowl — a dish
  16. craft — a skill
  17. wind — moving air
  18. stock — a soup base
  19. race — a contest
  20. stock — shares
  21. bowl — to roll
  22. scale — in music
  23. craft — a handicraft
  24. stock — goods

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