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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. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  2. Have you met the new head ________________?
  3. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  4. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  5. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  6. The ________________ market has crashed.
  7. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  8. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  9. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  10. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  11. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  12. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  13. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  14. He is an ace ________________.
  15. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  16. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  17. Did you ________________ the meat?
  18. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  19. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  20. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  21. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  22. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  23. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  24. Fill up this ________________ with water.

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

Answer key

  1. season — of the year
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. stock — goods
  5. race — the arms race
  6. stock — shares
  7. cap — a lid
  8. lie — to recline
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. coach — pulled by horses
  11. kid — child
  12. cap — of ice
  13. season — in sport
  14. pitcher — in baseball
  15. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  16. race — a contest
  17. season — to add flavour
  18. race — humankind
  19. stock — a soup base
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. kid — to tease
  23. cap — a hat
  24. pitcher — a jug

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