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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. Where did you ________________ them?
  2. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  3. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  4. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  5. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  6. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  7. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  8. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  9. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  10. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  11. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  12. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  13. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  14. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  15. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  16. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  17. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  18. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  19. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  20. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  21. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  22. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  23. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  24. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — to rob
  2. mug — a cup
  3. shower — a meteor shower
  4. cap — of ice
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. shower — to wash
  8. mug — a face
  9. rule — a law
  10. race — humankind
  11. shower — rain
  12. cap — a lid
  13. cap — a hat
  14. wake — to stop sleeping
  15. wake — a trail
  16. bark — to shout
  17. race — the arms race
  18. rule — to rule out
  19. bark — of a tree
  20. bark — a dog's sound
  21. racket — a loud noise
  22. wake — before a funeral
  23. rule — government
  24. race — a contest

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