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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. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  2. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  3. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  4. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  5. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  6. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  7. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  8. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  9. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  10. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  11. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  12. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  13. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  14. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  15. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  16. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  17. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  18. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  19. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  20. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  21. Did you ________________ the meat?
  22. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  23. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  24. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a line
  2. race — humankind
  3. season — in sport
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. lean — to bend
  6. season — of the year
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. race — the arms race
  9. club — a group
  10. racket — a loud noise
  11. club — for golf
  12. face — part of the head
  13. club — for dancing
  14. lean — thin
  15. row — a quarrel
  16. lean — to rest against
  17. row — to paddle
  18. cap — of ice
  19. face — to point toward
  20. cap — a hat
  21. season — to add flavour
  22. race — a contest
  23. cap — a lid
  24. face — to confront

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