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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 ball hit the back of the ________________.
  2. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  3. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  4. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  5. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  6. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  7. When are we going to ________________?
  8. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  9. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  10. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  11. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  12. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  13. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  14. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  15. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  16. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  17. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  18. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  19. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  20. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  21. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  22. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  23. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  24. What was your ________________ profit last year?

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

Answer key

  1. net — in sport
  2. pit — a hole
  3. race — the arms race
  4. land — a country
  5. spring — a coil
  6. net — for catching
  7. land — to come down
  8. clip — to cut
  9. safe — a strongbox
  10. pit — a fruit stone
  11. pit — in a race
  12. cap — of ice
  13. clip — a video
  14. race — a contest
  15. land — ground
  16. cap — a lid
  17. race — humankind
  18. safe — out of danger
  19. spring — the season
  20. cap — a hat
  21. safe — out of danger
  22. clip — for paper
  23. spring — of water
  24. net — after costs

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