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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. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  2. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  3. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  4. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  5. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  6. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  7. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  8. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  9. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  10. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  11. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  12. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  13. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  14. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  15. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  16. It's one o'clock ________________.
  17. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  18. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  19. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  20. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  21. That must've been a ________________.
  22. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  23. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  24. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?

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

Answer key

  1. rush — to hurry
  2. race — the arms race
  3. race — humankind
  4. pit — in a race
  5. pit — a fruit stone
  6. spring — a coil
  7. sharp — clever
  8. band — a rubber band
  9. band — a music group
  10. cap — of ice
  11. pit — a hole
  12. race — a contest
  13. cap — a hat
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. calf — of the leg
  16. sharp — exactly
  17. band — a ring
  18. spring — of water
  19. calf — a young animal
  20. sharp — with an edge
  21. rush — a thrill
  22. rush — hurry
  23. spring — the season
  24. cap — a lid

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