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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. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  2. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  3. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  4. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  5. Don't do anything ________________.
  6. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  7. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  8. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  9. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  10. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  11. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  12. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  13. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  14. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  15. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  16. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  17. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  18. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  19. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  20. The water is too ________________.
  21. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  22. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  23. The ball is in your ________________.
  24. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. race — humankind
  2. court — of a king
  3. cap — a hat
  4. rash — a series
  5. rash — hasty
  6. chip — in a computer
  7. cap — of ice
  8. chip — for betting
  9. tear — to rip
  10. ruler — for measuring
  11. cold — an illness
  12. court — of law
  13. cold — the Cold War
  14. ruler — a monarch
  15. tear — from crying
  16. chip — to eat
  17. rash — on the skin
  18. ruler — for measuring
  19. race — a contest
  20. cold — not warm
  21. tear — from crying
  22. cap — a lid
  23. court — for sport
  24. race — the arms race

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