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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. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  2. The ________________ went through the wall.
  3. My father caught me by the ________________.
  4. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  5. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  6. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  7. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  8. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  9. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  10. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  11. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  12. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  13. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  14. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  15. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  16. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  17. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  18. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  19. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  20. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  21. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  22. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  23. The water is too ________________.
  24. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — of ice
  2. nail — for a hammer
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. arm — part of the body
  5. cold — the Cold War
  6. cap — a lid
  7. branch — a division
  8. dip — to sink
  9. mine — belonging to me
  10. dip — to dunk
  11. rule — government
  12. mine — an explosive
  13. branch — of a bank
  14. rule — to rule out
  15. mine — for digging
  16. branch — of a tree
  17. cap — a hat
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. cold — an illness
  20. rule — a law
  21. nail — on a finger
  22. dip — a sauce
  23. cold — not warm
  24. arm — a part of something

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