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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. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  2. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  3. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  4. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  5. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  6. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  7. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  8. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  9. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  10. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  11. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  12. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  13. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  14. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  15. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  16. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  17. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  18. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  19. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  20. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  21. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  22. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  23. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  24. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — thin
  2. bat — for baseball
  3. lean — to bend
  4. cap — a hat
  5. cap — of ice
  6. present — the time now
  7. cap — a lid
  8. net — in sport
  9. race — a contest
  10. mark — a grade
  11. net — for catching
  12. bark — a dog's sound
  13. present — there
  14. race — humankind
  15. mark — a trace
  16. bark — of a tree
  17. present — a gift
  18. mark — to pay attention
  19. bark — to shout
  20. bat — in an idiom
  21. net — after costs
  22. bat — the animal
  23. lean — to rest against
  24. race — the arms race

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