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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 polar ice ________________ is melting.
  2. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  3. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  4. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  5. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  6. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  7. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  8. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  9. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  10. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  11. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  12. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  13. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  14. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  15. She's very handy with a ________________.
  16. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  17. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  18. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  19. He works in a ________________ mill.
  20. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  21. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  22. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  23. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  24. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — of ice
  2. race — humankind
  3. lash — to lash out
  4. saw — past of 'see'
  5. race — the arms race
  6. bass — the instrument
  7. bat — in an idiom
  8. cap — a hat
  9. bass — low music
  10. ruler — for measuring
  11. content — videos and posts
  12. lash — a whip stroke
  13. ruler — for measuring
  14. content — the amount
  15. saw — the tool
  16. bass — the fish
  17. lash — an eyelash
  18. ruler — a monarch
  19. saw — the tool
  20. bat — the animal
  21. race — a contest
  22. content — happy
  23. cap — a lid
  24. bat — for baseball

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