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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. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  2. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  3. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  4. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  5. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  6. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  7. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  8. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  9. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  10. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  11. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  12. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  13. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  14. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  15. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  16. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  17. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  18. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  19. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  20. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  21. False peace will not ________________.
  22. The ball is in your ________________.
  23. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  24. Do you need a ________________ with that?

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a lid
  2. race — humankind
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. cap — a hat
  5. last — final
  6. club — for dancing
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. club — a group
  9. race — the arms race
  10. club — for golf
  11. court — of a king
  12. hand — part of the body
  13. last — finally
  14. mouse — for a computer
  15. fan — to cool the air
  16. mouse — the animal
  17. cap — of ice
  18. mouse — the animal
  19. court — of law
  20. hand — in cards
  21. last — to go on
  22. court — for sport
  23. race — a contest
  24. hand — help

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