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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. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  2. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  3. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  4. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  5. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  6. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  7. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  8. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  9. Have you found your soul ________________?
  10. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  11. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  12. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  13. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  14. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  15. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  16. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  17. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  18. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  19. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  20. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  21. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  22. The ________________ went through the wall.
  23. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  24. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a quarrel
  2. mate — to breed
  3. row — a line
  4. cap — of ice
  5. race — a contest
  6. staff — employees
  7. staff — employees
  8. face — to point toward
  9. mate — a partner
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. shower — a meteor shower
  12. race — humankind
  13. cap — a lid
  14. shower — to wash
  15. staff — a stick
  16. face — part of the head
  17. row — to paddle
  18. face — to confront
  19. race — the arms race
  20. cap — a hat
  21. shower — rain
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. mate — a friend
  24. nail — on a finger

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