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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. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  2. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  3. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  4. That was ________________ to happen.
  5. It's one o'clock ________________.
  6. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  7. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  8. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  9. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  10. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  11. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  12. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  13. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  14. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  15. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  16. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  17. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  18. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  19. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  20. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  21. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  22. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  23. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  24. My mare is ________________ in color.

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

Answer key

  1. race — humankind
  2. cap — a hat
  3. cap — a lid
  4. bound — certain
  5. sharp — exactly
  6. trunk — of a car
  7. race — a contest
  8. bound — obliged
  9. sharp — with an edge
  10. cap — of ice
  11. lean — to bend
  12. trunk — of an elephant
  13. sharp — clever
  14. capital — a big letter
  15. lean — to rest against
  16. bay — a part of the sea
  17. trunk — of a tree
  18. capital — money
  19. capital — a city
  20. lean — thin
  21. bound — tied together
  22. bay — to keep at bay
  23. race — the arms race
  24. bay — a horse colour

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