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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: squash · mark · foot · mine · race · bat · pass · lie

  1. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  2. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  3. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  4. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  5. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  6. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  7. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  8. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  9. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  10. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  11. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  12. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  13. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  14. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  15. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  16. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  17. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  18. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  19. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  20. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  21. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  22. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  23. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  24. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — to crush
  2. foot — part of the body
  3. mine — belonging to me
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. pass — to succeed
  6. pass — a permit
  7. race — humankind
  8. mine — for digging
  9. mark — a grade
  10. squash — the sport
  11. mine — an explosive
  12. foot — the bottom
  13. squash — the vegetable
  14. race — the arms race
  15. bat — in an idiom
  16. foot — a measure
  17. mark — to pay attention
  18. race — a contest
  19. bat — for baseball
  20. lie — to recline
  21. bat — the animal
  22. mark — a trace
  23. lie — an untruth
  24. pass — to spend time

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