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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. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  2. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  3. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  4. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  5. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  6. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  7. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  8. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  9. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  10. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  11. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  12. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  13. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  14. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  15. The water is too ________________.
  16. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  17. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  18. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  19. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  20. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  21. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  22. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  23. Have you met the new head ________________?
  24. The polar ice ________________ is melting.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — past of 'wind'
  2. race — the arms race
  3. wound — an injury
  4. cap — a lid
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. jam — in traffic
  7. jam — a tight spot
  8. straw — dry grass
  9. lie — to recline
  10. race — humankind
  11. straw — to clutch at straws
  12. straw — a straw man
  13. race — a contest
  14. jam — to spread on bread
  15. cold — not warm
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. cold — the Cold War
  19. cold — an illness
  20. cap — a hat
  21. coach — pulled by horses
  22. wound — an injury
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. cap — of ice

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