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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 water is too ________________.
  2. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  3. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  4. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  5. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  6. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  7. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  8. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  9. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  10. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  11. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  12. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  13. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  14. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  15. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  16. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  17. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  18. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  19. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  20. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  21. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  22. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  23. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  24. I can't ________________ this cold.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — not warm
  2. object — a thing
  3. can — a tin
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. race — a contest
  6. race — the arms race
  7. stand — for spectators
  8. kid — to tease
  9. object — an aim
  10. cold — an illness
  11. kid — child
  12. stand — on your feet
  13. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  14. clip — to cut
  15. clip — for paper
  16. clip — a video
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. can — a tin
  19. race — humankind
  20. object — to protest
  21. lie — to recline
  22. cold — the Cold War
  23. can — to be able to
  24. stand — to bear

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