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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 works in a ________________ mill.
  2. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  3. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  4. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  5. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  6. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  7. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  8. She's very handy with a ________________.
  9. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  10. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  11. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  12. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  13. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  14. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  15. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  16. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  17. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  18. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  19. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  20. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  21. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  22. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  23. Have you settled on a ________________?
  24. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. cap — of ice
  3. foot — part of the body
  4. date — on the calendar
  5. race — the arms race
  6. drill — a practice
  7. wound — past of 'wind'
  8. saw — the tool
  9. wound — an injury
  10. cap — a lid
  11. saw — past of 'see'
  12. race — a contest
  13. date — the fruit
  14. race — humankind
  15. cap — a hat
  16. foot — a measure
  17. mine — belonging to me
  18. mine — for digging
  19. foot — the bottom
  20. mine — an explosive
  21. wound — an injury
  22. drill — the tool
  23. date — on the calendar
  24. drill — army training

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