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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. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  2. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  3. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  4. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  5. I'll be taking the ________________.
  6. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  7. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  8. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  9. When are we going to ________________?
  10. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  11. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  12. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  13. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  14. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  15. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  16. False peace will not ________________.
  17. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  18. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  19. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  20. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  21. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  22. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  23. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  24. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a lid
  2. race — humankind
  3. tube — a container
  4. cap — of ice
  5. tube — the underground
  6. mark — a grade
  7. mark — to pay attention
  8. land — a country
  9. land — to come down
  10. scale — size or range
  11. tube — in a tire
  12. race — a contest
  13. last — final
  14. snap — to click
  15. race — the arms race
  16. last — to go on
  17. land — ground
  18. mark — a trace
  19. scale — for weighing
  20. snap — to snap out of it
  21. last — finally
  22. snap — to speak sharply
  23. scale — in music
  24. cap — a hat

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