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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 hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  2. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  3. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  4. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  5. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  6. What do you think of the new ________________?
  7. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  8. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  9. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  10. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  11. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  12. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  13. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  14. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  15. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  16. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  17. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  18. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  19. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  20. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  21. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  22. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  23. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  24. We ________________ up on opposing sides.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — a trace
  2. hand — part of the body
  3. fall — to drop
  4. bear — the animal
  5. bear — to put up with
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. mark — to pay attention
  9. hand — in cards
  10. mark — a grade
  11. fall — the season
  12. racket — a loud noise
  13. race — a contest
  14. cabinet — a cupboard
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. race — the arms race
  17. bear — the animal
  18. wound — an injury
  19. fall — to drop
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. wound — an injury
  22. hand — help
  23. race — humankind
  24. wound — past of 'wind'

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