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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. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  2. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  3. How do you ________________ your surname?
  4. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  5. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  6. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  7. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  8. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  9. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  10. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  11. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  12. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  13. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  14. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  15. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  16. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  17. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  18. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  19. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  20. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  21. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  22. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  23. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  24. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. can — a tin
  2. can — to be able to
  3. spell — letters
  4. fork — in a road
  5. clip — for paper
  6. clip — to cut
  7. cap — a hat
  8. bat — the animal
  9. cap — of ice
  10. firm — a company
  11. bat — for baseball
  12. fork — a garden tool
  13. clip — a video
  14. firm — decided
  15. race — the arms race
  16. fork — to eat with
  17. race — humankind
  18. can — a tin
  19. bat — in an idiom
  20. race — a contest
  21. firm — steady
  22. cap — a lid
  23. spell — a short time
  24. spell — magic

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