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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. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  2. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  3. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  4. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  5. Don't do anything ________________.
  6. She's very handy with a ________________.
  7. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  8. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  9. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  10. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  11. He works in a ________________ mill.
  12. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  13. The King held a masked ________________.
  14. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  15. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  16. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  17. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  18. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  19. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  20. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  21. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  22. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  23. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  24. My mare is ________________ in color.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — of ice
  2. dip — to sink
  3. bay — to keep at bay
  4. chest — of your body
  5. rash — hasty
  6. saw — the tool
  7. ball — a round shape
  8. race — humankind
  9. dip — to dunk
  10. ball — a great time
  11. saw — the tool
  12. bay — a part of the sea
  13. ball — a dance
  14. saw — past of 'see'
  15. rash — a series
  16. cap — a lid
  17. race — a contest
  18. chest — of your body
  19. cap — a hat
  20. dip — a sauce
  21. rash — on the skin
  22. chest — a box
  23. race — the arms race
  24. bay — a horse colour

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