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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. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  2. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  3. There's no middle ________________.
  4. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  5. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  6. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  7. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  8. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  9. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  10. What do you think of the new ________________?
  11. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  12. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  13. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  14. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  15. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  16. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  17. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  18. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  19. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  20. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  21. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  22. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  23. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  24. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — for a computer
  2. cap — a lid
  3. ground — a position
  4. race — a contest
  5. ground — the earth
  6. race — the arms race
  7. mouse — the animal
  8. race — humankind
  9. degree — from a university
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. mouse — the animal
  13. net — after costs
  14. wake — a trail
  15. net — for catching
  16. cap — of ice
  17. ground — crushed
  18. cabinet — a cupboard
  19. wake — before a funeral
  20. wake — to stop sleeping
  21. degree — temperature
  22. net — in sport
  23. degree — an amount
  24. cap — a hat

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