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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. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  2. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  3. When are we going to ________________?
  4. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  5. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  6. She's very handy with a ________________.
  7. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  8. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  9. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  10. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  11. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  12. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  13. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  14. He works in a ________________ mill.
  15. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  16. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  17. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  18. The ________________ went through the wall.
  19. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  20. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  21. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  22. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  23. David sat on the ________________.
  24. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — of ice
  2. nail — for a hammer
  3. land — to come down
  4. land — a country
  5. nail — on a finger
  6. saw — the tool
  7. cap — a lid
  8. chair — a leader
  9. race — the arms race
  10. present — a gift
  11. cap — a hat
  12. race — a contest
  13. race — humankind
  14. saw — the tool
  15. present — the time now
  16. chair — to sit on
  17. swing — in golf
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. saw — past of 'see'
  20. swing — music
  21. chair — a professorship
  22. land — ground
  23. swing — to play on
  24. present — there

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