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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. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  2. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  3. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  4. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  5. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  6. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  7. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  8. Have you met the new head ________________?
  9. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  10. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  11. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  12. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  13. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  14. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  15. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  16. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  17. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  18. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  19. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  20. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  21. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  22. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  23. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  24. When was this ________________ built?

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

Answer key

  1. race — the arms race
  2. race — a contest
  3. cap — of ice
  4. wind — moving air
  5. race — humankind
  6. chair — a professorship
  7. cap — a hat
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. cap — a lid
  10. chair — to sit on
  11. hide — animal skin
  12. wind — moving air
  13. temple — a place of worship
  14. temple — side of the head
  15. file — a line of people
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. file — a tool
  19. chair — a leader
  20. wind — to turn a key
  21. coach — pulled by horses
  22. file — a document
  23. hide — to keep secret
  24. temple — a place of worship

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