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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. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  2. I'll be taking the ________________.
  3. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  4. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  5. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  6. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  7. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  8. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  9. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  10. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  11. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  12. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  13. We're almost out of ________________.
  14. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  15. That was a fun ________________.
  16. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  17. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  18. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  19. When are we going to ________________?
  20. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  21. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  22. You don't need to ________________ round.
  23. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  24. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.

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

Answer key

  1. race — humankind
  2. tube — the underground
  3. land — a country
  4. pop — music
  5. cap — of ice
  6. foot — part of the body
  7. race — the arms race
  8. straw — to clutch at straws
  9. game — wild animals
  10. straw — dry grass
  11. game — a kind of play
  12. foot — the bottom
  13. pop — soda
  14. race — a contest
  15. game — a match
  16. foot — a measure
  17. cap — a lid
  18. tube — in a tire
  19. land — to come down
  20. land — ground
  21. tube — a container
  22. pop — to visit
  23. cap — a hat
  24. straw — a straw man

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