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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. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  2. My mare is ________________ in color.
  3. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  4. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  5. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  6. Have you found your soul ________________?
  7. Did you ________________ the meat?
  8. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  9. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  10. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  11. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  12. He was locked up in a ________________.
  13. There's no middle ________________.
  14. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  15. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  16. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  17. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  18. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  19. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  20. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  21. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  22. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  23. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  24. Add some ________________ pepper to it.

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

Answer key

  1. race — a contest
  2. bay — a horse colour
  3. ground — the earth
  4. bay — to keep at bay
  5. bat — the animal
  6. mate — a partner
  7. season — to add flavour
  8. race — the arms race
  9. mate — a friend
  10. pit — a hole
  11. pit — in a race
  12. cell — in a prison
  13. ground — a position
  14. cell — in biology
  15. season — of the year
  16. pit — a fruit stone
  17. bat — in an idiom
  18. race — humankind
  19. mate — to breed
  20. bat — for baseball
  21. bay — a part of the sea
  22. cell — a phone
  23. season — in sport
  24. ground — crushed

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