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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. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  2. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  3. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  4. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  5. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  6. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  7. I've got to change the light ________________.
  8. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  9. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  10. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  11. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  12. The light ________________ burned out.
  13. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  14. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  15. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  16. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  17. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  18. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  19. It's one o'clock ________________.
  20. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  21. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  22. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  23. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  24. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — of a plant
  2. sharp — with an edge
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. race — humankind
  5. wound — an injury
  6. shower — a meteor shower
  7. bulb — for light
  8. lie — to recline
  9. race — a contest
  10. wound — an injury
  11. sharp — clever
  12. bulb — for light
  13. snap — to speak sharply
  14. file — a tool
  15. wound — past of 'wind'
  16. shower — to wash
  17. snap — to click
  18. file — a document
  19. sharp — exactly
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. race — the arms race
  22. shower — rain
  23. snap — to snap out of it
  24. file — a line of people

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