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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. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  2. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  3. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  4. We're on a ________________ here.
  5. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  6. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  7. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  8. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  9. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  10. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  11. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  12. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  13. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  14. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  15. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  16. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  17. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  18. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  19. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  20. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  21. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  22. It's one o'clock ________________.
  23. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  24. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — to wash
  2. roll — a list
  3. race — a contest
  4. roll — on a roll
  5. cap — of ice
  6. race — the arms race
  7. cap — a hat
  8. race — humankind
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. dip — to sink
  11. cap — a lid
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. roll — a cake
  14. shower — rain
  15. fine — a penalty
  16. hide — animal skin
  17. dip — a sauce
  18. dip — to dunk
  19. fine — high quality
  20. fine — all right
  21. sharp — clever
  22. sharp — exactly
  23. sharp — with an edge
  24. shower — a meteor shower

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