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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. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  2. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  3. I can't ________________ this cold.
  4. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  5. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  6. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  7. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  8. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  9. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  10. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  11. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  12. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  13. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  14. False peace will not ________________.
  15. The ________________ took off on time.
  16. Have you settled on a ________________?
  17. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  18. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  19. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  20. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  21. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  22. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  23. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  24. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. race — humankind
  2. date — on the calendar
  3. stand — to bear
  4. date — the fruit
  5. straw — a straw man
  6. race — the arms race
  7. race — a contest
  8. last — final
  9. lie — to recline
  10. stand — for spectators
  11. stand — on your feet
  12. content — the amount
  13. content — happy
  14. last — to go on
  15. plane — an aircraft
  16. date — on the calendar
  17. plane — a tool
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. plane — in geometry
  21. straw — dry grass
  22. straw — to clutch at straws
  23. last — finally
  24. content — videos and posts

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