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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 120 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 polar ice ________________ is melting.
  2. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  3. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  4. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  5. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  6. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  7. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  8. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  9. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  10. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  11. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  12. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  13. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  14. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  15. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  16. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  17. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  18. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  19. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  20. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  21. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  22. Have you met the new head ________________?
  23. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  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. cap — of ice
  2. race — a contest
  3. mouse — for a computer
  4. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  5. leaves — to go away
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. cap — a lid
  8. degree — from a university
  9. coach — pulled by horses
  10. mouse — the animal
  11. race — humankind
  12. cap — a hat
  13. pass — a permit
  14. kid — to tease
  15. pass — to spend time
  16. degree — temperature
  17. leaves — lets stay
  18. mouse — the animal
  19. pass — to succeed
  20. kid — child
  21. degree — an amount
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. leaves — of a tree
  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