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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. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  2. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  3. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  4. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  5. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  6. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  7. What do you think of the new ________________?
  8. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  9. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  10. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  11. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  12. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  13. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  14. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  15. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  16. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  17. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  18. That was ________________ to happen.
  19. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  20. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  21. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  22. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  23. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  24. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — of ice
  2. pass — a permit
  3. kick — with a leg
  4. race — the arms race
  5. club — for golf
  6. club — for dancing
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. cabinet — a cupboard
  9. spring — a coil
  10. race — a contest
  11. pass — to succeed
  12. bound — obliged
  13. kick — a thrill
  14. spring — the season
  15. kick — in football
  16. cap — a lid
  17. bound — tied together
  18. bound — certain
  19. spring — of water
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. cap — a hat
  22. club — a group
  23. pass — to spend time
  24. race — humankind

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