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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. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  2. Have you met the new head ________________?
  3. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  4. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  5. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  6. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  7. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  8. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  9. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  10. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  11. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  12. Did you ________________ the meat?
  13. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  14. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  15. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  16. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  17. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  18. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  19. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  20. When was this ________________ built?
  21. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  22. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  23. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  24. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a dish
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. race — the arms race
  4. cap — a hat
  5. coach — pulled by horses
  6. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  7. lean — thin
  8. kid — to tease
  9. race — humankind
  10. race — a contest
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. season — to add flavour
  13. temple — side of the head
  14. season — of the year
  15. temple — a place of worship
  16. lean — to bend
  17. cap — of ice
  18. season — in sport
  19. bowl — to roll
  20. temple — a place of worship
  21. lean — to rest against
  22. cap — a lid
  23. bowl — a football final
  24. kid — child

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