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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. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  2. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  3. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  4. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  5. That was ________________ to happen.
  6. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  7. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  8. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  9. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  10. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  11. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  12. Have you found your soul ________________?
  13. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  14. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  15. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  16. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  17. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  18. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  19. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  20. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  21. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  22. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  23. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  24. This looks like a gunshot ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — to breed
  2. cap — a hat
  3. cap — of ice
  4. race — a contest
  5. bound — certain
  6. club — for dancing
  7. bank — for money
  8. bound — obliged
  9. bound — tied together
  10. wound — past of 'wind'
  11. cap — a lid
  12. mate — a partner
  13. bank — of a river
  14. race — the arms race
  15. rest — what's left
  16. mate — a friend
  17. wound — an injury
  18. club — for golf
  19. bank — for money
  20. club — a group
  21. rest — a break
  22. rest — what's left
  23. race — humankind
  24. wound — an injury

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