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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. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  2. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  3. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  4. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  5. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  6. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  7. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  8. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  9. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  10. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  11. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  12. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  13. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  14. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  15. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  16. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  17. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  18. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  19. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  20. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  21. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  22. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  23. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  24. He took the fish out of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — government
  2. rule — to rule out
  3. straw — a straw man
  4. race — a contest
  5. stick — to attach or keep to
  6. can — a tin
  7. rule — a law
  8. dip — to sink
  9. cap — a hat
  10. race — the arms race
  11. net — in sport
  12. dip — to dunk
  13. cap — of ice
  14. cap — a lid
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. dip — a sauce
  17. straw — to clutch at straws
  18. can — a tin
  19. race — humankind
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. straw — dry grass
  22. can — to be able to
  23. net — after costs
  24. net — for catching

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