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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. My father caught me by the ________________.
  2. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  3. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  4. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  5. He was locked up in a ________________.
  6. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  7. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  8. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  9. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  10. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  11. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  12. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  13. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  14. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  15. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  16. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  17. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  18. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  19. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  20. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  21. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  22. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  23. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  24. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — part of the body
  2. snap — to click
  3. arm — a part of something
  4. race — the arms race
  5. cell — in a prison
  6. cell — a phone
  7. cap — a hat
  8. cap — a lid
  9. board — a flat piece
  10. race — a contest
  11. board — a committee
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. cell — in biology
  14. tear — to rip
  15. board — to get on
  16. tear — from crying
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. lie — to recline
  19. snap — to speak sharply
  20. cap — of ice
  21. snap — to snap out of it
  22. tear — from crying
  23. race — humankind
  24. arm — part of the body

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