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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. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  2. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  3. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  4. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  5. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  6. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  7. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  8. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  9. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  10. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  11. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  12. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  13. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  14. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  15. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  16. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  17. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  18. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  19. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  20. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  21. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  22. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  23. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  24. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.

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

Answer key

  1. race — the arms race
  2. bat — in an idiom
  3. bark — of a tree
  4. fall — to drop
  5. wind — to turn a key
  6. bark — to shout
  7. bark — a dog's sound
  8. fall — the season
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. cue — a signal
  11. chest — a box
  12. wind — moving air
  13. chest — of your body
  14. cue — a hint
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. chest — of your body
  17. fall — to drop
  18. bat — for baseball
  19. wind — moving air
  20. race — a contest
  21. cue — for pool
  22. race — humankind
  23. racket — a loud noise
  24. bat — the animal

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