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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. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  2. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  3. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  4. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  5. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  6. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  7. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  8. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  9. That was ________________ to happen.
  10. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  11. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  12. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  13. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  14. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  15. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  16. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  17. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  18. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  19. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  20. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  21. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  22. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  23. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  24. I got dealt a bad ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — a break
  2. cap — a hat
  3. bound — obliged
  4. hand — part of the body
  5. cap — a lid
  6. wake — to stop sleeping
  7. bowl — a dish
  8. race — humankind
  9. bound — certain
  10. wake — a trail
  11. net — in sport
  12. bound — tied together
  13. net — for catching
  14. cap — of ice
  15. rest — what's left
  16. bowl — a football final
  17. wake — before a funeral
  18. rest — what's left
  19. race — the arms race
  20. net — after costs
  21. race — a contest
  22. hand — help
  23. bowl — to roll
  24. hand — in cards

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