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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. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  2. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  3. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  4. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  5. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  6. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  7. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  8. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  9. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  10. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  11. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  12. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  13. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  14. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  15. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  16. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  17. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  18. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  19. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  20. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  21. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  22. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  23. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  24. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. race — a contest
  2. wound — an injury
  3. drill — a practice
  4. mark — a grade
  5. net — in sport
  6. net — after costs
  7. present — there
  8. mark — to pay attention
  9. drill — the tool
  10. mark — a trace
  11. stem — of a plant
  12. wound — past of 'wind'
  13. drill — army training
  14. race — the arms race
  15. cap — a hat
  16. stem — to come from
  17. cap — a lid
  18. cap — of ice
  19. present — a gift
  20. wound — an injury
  21. stem — a stem cell
  22. present — the time now
  23. net — for catching
  24. race — humankind

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