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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. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  2. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  3. He is an ace ________________.
  4. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  5. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  6. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  7. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  8. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  9. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  10. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  11. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  12. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  13. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  14. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  15. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  16. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  17. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  18. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  19. Where did you ________________ them?
  20. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  21. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  22. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  23. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  24. The polar ice ________________ is melting.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a hat
  2. bear — to put up with
  3. pitcher — in baseball
  4. race — humankind
  5. bowl — a football final
  6. trunk — of a car
  7. bowl — to roll
  8. mug — a face
  9. race — a contest
  10. trunk — of a tree
  11. chest — a box
  12. mug — a cup
  13. chest — of your body
  14. trunk — of an elephant
  15. race — the arms race
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. cap — a lid
  18. bear — the animal
  19. mug — to rob
  20. bowl — a dish
  21. bear — the animal
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. chest — of your body
  24. cap — of ice

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