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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 116 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 hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  2. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  3. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  4. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  5. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  6. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  7. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  8. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  9. The ________________ market has crashed.
  10. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  11. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  12. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  13. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  14. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  15. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  16. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  17. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  18. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  19. When are we going to ________________?
  20. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  21. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  22. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  23. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  24. The flowers bloom in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — of water
  2. cap — of ice
  3. present — a gift
  4. land — ground
  5. present — the time now
  6. face — part of the head
  7. race — the arms race
  8. land — a country
  9. stock — shares
  10. stock — goods
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. race — humankind
  13. stock — a soup base
  14. present — there
  15. cap — a lid
  16. face — to point toward
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. face — to confront
  19. land — to come down
  20. lie — to recline
  21. spring — a coil
  22. cap — a hat
  23. race — a contest
  24. spring — the season

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