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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. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  2. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  3. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  4. When was this ________________ built?
  5. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  6. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  7. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  8. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  9. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  10. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  11. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  12. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  13. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  14. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  15. There's no middle ________________.
  16. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  17. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  18. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  19. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  20. The King held a masked ________________.
  21. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  22. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  23. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  24. The ________________ change colour in autumn.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a round shape
  2. pass — to succeed
  3. cue — for pool
  4. temple — a place of worship
  5. ball — a great time
  6. ground — crushed
  7. temple — a place of worship
  8. hand — part of the body
  9. leaves — to go away
  10. race — the arms race
  11. hand — help
  12. hand — in cards
  13. race — humankind
  14. cue — a signal
  15. ground — a position
  16. cue — a hint
  17. leaves — lets stay
  18. pass — a permit
  19. race — a contest
  20. ball — a dance
  21. ground — the earth
  22. pass — to spend time
  23. temple — side of the head
  24. leaves — of a tree

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