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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. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  3. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  4. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  5. The ________________ went through the wall.
  6. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  7. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  8. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  9. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  10. False peace will not ________________.
  11. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  12. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  13. When was this ________________ built?
  14. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  15. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  16. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  17. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  18. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  19. He is an ace ________________.
  20. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  21. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  22. You don't need to ________________ round.
  23. We're almost out of ________________.
  24. The polar ice ________________ is melting.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a lid
  2. last — final
  3. race — a contest
  4. race — the arms race
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. squash — the sport
  7. last — finally
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. squash — to crush
  10. last — to go on
  11. squash — the vegetable
  12. temple — a place of worship
  13. temple — a place of worship
  14. race — humankind
  15. nail — on a finger
  16. temple — side of the head
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. pop — music
  19. pitcher — in baseball
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. cap — a hat
  22. pop — to visit
  23. pop — soda
  24. cap — of ice

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