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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. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  2. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  3. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  4. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  5. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  6. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  7. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  8. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  9. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  10. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  11. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  12. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  13. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  14. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  15. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  16. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  17. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  18. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  19. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  20. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  21. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  22. He is an ace ________________.
  23. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  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. cap — of ice
  2. cap — a hat
  3. bore — to drill
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. bore — gave birth
  6. race — humankind
  7. net — after costs
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. race — a contest
  10. net — in sport
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. stick — to attach or keep to
  13. net — for catching
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. lean — to rest against
  16. pitch — a sports field
  17. lean — to bend
  18. pitch — a sales talk
  19. race — the arms race
  20. pitch — completely
  21. bore — to tire
  22. pitcher — in baseball
  23. lean — thin
  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