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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. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  2. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  3. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  4. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  5. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  6. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  7. When are we going to ________________?
  8. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  9. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  10. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  11. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  12. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  13. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  14. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  15. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  16. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  17. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  18. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  19. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  20. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  21. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  22. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  23. David sat on the ________________.
  24. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. present — a gift
  2. race — humankind
  3. cap — a hat
  4. cap — a lid
  5. chip — in a computer
  6. present — there
  7. land — to come down
  8. wave — with your hand
  9. cap — of ice
  10. present — the time now
  11. wave — of the sea
  12. chip — for betting
  13. swing — music
  14. wave — a sudden rise
  15. swing — in golf
  16. chip — to eat
  17. land — a country
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. race — the arms race
  20. race — a contest
  21. lie — to recline
  22. land — ground
  23. swing — to play on
  24. lie — an untruth

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