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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. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  2. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  3. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  4. He works in a ________________ mill.
  5. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  6. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  7. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  8. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  9. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  10. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  11. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  12. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  13. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  14. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  15. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  16. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  17. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  18. She's very handy with a ________________.
  19. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  20. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  21. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  22. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  23. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  24. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — to rule out
  2. race — a contest
  3. cap — a lid
  4. saw — the tool
  5. race — the arms race
  6. stem — to come from
  7. shower — to wash
  8. race — humankind
  9. rule — a law
  10. saw — past of 'see'
  11. bear — the animal
  12. cap — a hat
  13. bear — the animal
  14. shower — rain
  15. bear — to put up with
  16. stem — a stem cell
  17. bat — for baseball
  18. saw — the tool
  19. cap — of ice
  20. stem — of a plant
  21. bat — the animal
  22. rule — government
  23. shower — a meteor shower
  24. bat — in an idiom

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