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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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: wound · lie · leaves · jam · race · stick · toast · ground

  1. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  2. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  3. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  4. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  5. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  6. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  7. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  8. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  9. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  10. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  11. There's no middle ________________.
  12. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  13. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  14. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  15. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  16. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  17. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  18. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  19. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  20. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  21. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  22. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  23. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  24. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — the most admired
  2. leaves — of a tree
  3. wound — an injury
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. jam — to spread on bread
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. race — a contest
  8. jam — in traffic
  9. stick — to attach or keep to
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. ground — a position
  12. toast — a drink to someone
  13. race — humankind
  14. race — the arms race
  15. ground — the earth
  16. ground — crushed
  17. wound — past of 'wind'
  18. wound — an injury
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. toast — bread
  21. jam — a tight spot
  22. leaves — lets stay
  23. leaves — to go away
  24. lie — to recline

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