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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. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  2. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  3. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  4. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  5. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  6. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  7. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  8. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  9. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  10. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  11. My father caught me by the ________________.
  12. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  13. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  14. When are we going to ________________?
  15. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  16. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  17. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  18. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  19. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  20. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  21. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  22. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  23. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  24. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. land — ground
  2. cap — a hat
  3. race — humankind
  4. march — music
  5. fall — to drop
  6. firm — steady
  7. march — the month
  8. arm — part of the body
  9. cap — of ice
  10. arm — a part of something
  11. arm — part of the body
  12. fall — to drop
  13. land — a country
  14. land — to come down
  15. firm — a company
  16. mark — to pay attention
  17. firm — decided
  18. mark — a trace
  19. race — the arms race
  20. race — a contest
  21. fall — the season
  22. mark — a grade
  23. cap — a lid
  24. march — the month

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