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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. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  2. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  3. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  4. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  5. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  6. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  7. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  8. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  9. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  10. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  11. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  12. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  13. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  14. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  15. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  16. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  17. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  18. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  19. I can't ________________ this cold.
  20. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  21. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  22. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  23. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  24. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a lid
  2. club — a group
  3. lean — thin
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. race — humankind
  6. tear — from crying
  7. race — a contest
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. tear — to rip
  10. club — for dancing
  11. fork — a garden tool
  12. stand — for spectators
  13. race — the arms race
  14. racket — a loud noise
  15. tear — from crying
  16. stand — on your feet
  17. lean — to rest against
  18. cap — a hat
  19. stand — to bear
  20. cap — of ice
  21. fork — to eat with
  22. lean — to bend
  23. fork — in a road
  24. club — for golf

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