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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. The King held a masked ________________.
  2. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  3. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  4. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  5. There's no middle ________________.
  6. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  7. Where did you ________________ them?
  8. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  9. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  10. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  11. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  12. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  13. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  14. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  15. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  16. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  17. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  18. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  19. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  20. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  21. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  22. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  23. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  24. Add some ________________ pepper to it.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a dance
  2. fall — the season
  3. race — the arms race
  4. mug — a cup
  5. ground — a position
  6. lean — to bend
  7. mug — to rob
  8. fall — to drop
  9. object — an aim
  10. ball — a great time
  11. fall — to drop
  12. race — a contest
  13. ball — a round shape
  14. lean — thin
  15. lean — to rest against
  16. mug — a face
  17. bass — the instrument
  18. bass — low music
  19. object — a thing
  20. ground — the earth
  21. object — to protest
  22. race — humankind
  23. bass — the fish
  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