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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 120 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. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  2. My mare is ________________ in color.
  3. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  4. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  5. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  6. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  7. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  8. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  9. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  10. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  11. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  12. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  13. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  14. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  15. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  16. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  17. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  18. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  19. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  20. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  21. The ________________ market has crashed.
  22. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  23. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  24. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — a garden tool
  2. bay — a horse colour
  3. cap — a hat
  4. face — part of the head
  5. cap — of ice
  6. snap — to snap out of it
  7. fork — in a road
  8. snap — to speak sharply
  9. bay — to keep at bay
  10. face — to point toward
  11. race — a contest
  12. cap — a lid
  13. fork — to eat with
  14. hand — in cards
  15. bay — a part of the sea
  16. hand — help
  17. race — humankind
  18. stock — a soup base
  19. stock — goods
  20. face — to confront
  21. stock — shares
  22. snap — to click
  23. hand — part of the body
  24. race — the arms race

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