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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. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  2. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  3. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  4. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  5. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  6. The water is too ________________.
  7. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  8. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  9. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  10. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  11. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  12. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  13. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  14. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  15. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  16. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  17. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  18. False peace will not ________________.
  19. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  20. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  21. The tickets are free of ________________.
  22. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  23. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  24. ________________ you help me carry this box?

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

Answer key

  1. cold — the Cold War
  2. last — finally
  3. mine — belonging to me
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. cap — of ice
  6. cold — not warm
  7. last — final
  8. mine — an explosive
  9. cap — a lid
  10. can — a tin
  11. charge — in control
  12. cold — an illness
  13. cap — a hat
  14. race — a contest
  15. charge — electricity
  16. mine — for digging
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. last — to go on
  19. race — the arms race
  20. race — humankind
  21. charge — a price
  22. can — a tin
  23. calf — of the leg
  24. can — to be able to

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