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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. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  2. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  3. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  4. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  5. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  6. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  7. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  8. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  9. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  10. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  11. He is an ace ________________.
  12. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  13. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  14. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  15. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  16. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  17. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  18. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  19. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  20. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  21. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  22. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  23. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  24. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — an explosive
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. chest — of your body
  4. race — a contest
  5. cap — of ice
  6. chest — a box
  7. cap — a hat
  8. foot — a measure
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. snap — to snap out of it
  11. pitcher — in baseball
  12. mine — for digging
  13. snap — to speak sharply
  14. snap — to click
  15. race — the arms race
  16. chest — of your body
  17. mine — belonging to me
  18. race — humankind
  19. mouse — the animal
  20. foot — part of the body
  21. cap — a lid
  22. foot — the bottom
  23. mouse — for a computer
  24. mouse — the animal

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