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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. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  2. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  3. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  4. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  5. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  6. We're on a ________________ here.
  7. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  8. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  9. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  10. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  11. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  12. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  13. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  14. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  15. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  16. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  17. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  18. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  19. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  20. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  21. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  22. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  23. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  24. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to speak sharply
  2. mine — for digging
  3. cap — of ice
  4. mine — an explosive
  5. rock — music
  6. roll — on a roll
  7. foot — part of the body
  8. snap — to snap out of it
  9. race — humankind
  10. foot — a measure
  11. rock — a stone
  12. race — the arms race
  13. snap — to click
  14. mine — belonging to me
  15. roll — a cake
  16. cap — a hat
  17. foot — the bottom
  18. race — a contest
  19. fall — to drop
  20. roll — a list
  21. rock — to move gently
  22. fall — to drop
  23. fall — the season
  24. cap — a lid

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