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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 116 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. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  2. Have you met the new head ________________?
  3. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  4. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  5. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  6. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  7. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  8. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  9. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  10. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  11. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  12. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  13. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  14. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  15. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  16. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  17. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  18. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  19. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  20. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  21. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  22. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  23. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  24. The spa offers ________________ extensions.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — the animal
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. race — the arms race
  5. cap — a lid
  6. wake — before a funeral
  7. fall — to drop
  8. lash — a whip stroke
  9. coach — pulled by horses
  10. fall — the season
  11. wake — a trail
  12. capital — a city
  13. fall — to drop
  14. race — a contest
  15. cap — of ice
  16. cap — a hat
  17. capital — a big letter
  18. bear — the animal
  19. lash — to lash out
  20. capital — money
  21. race — humankind
  22. wake — to stop sleeping
  23. bear — to put up with
  24. lash — an eyelash

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