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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. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  2. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  3. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  4. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  5. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  6. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  7. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  8. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  9. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  10. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  11. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  12. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  13. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  14. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  15. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  16. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  17. What do you think of the new ________________?
  18. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  19. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  20. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  21. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  22. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  23. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  24. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?

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

Answer key

  1. hand — part of the body
  2. hand — in cards
  3. race — a contest
  4. cap — a lid
  5. snap — to speak sharply
  6. field — a subject
  7. rest — a break
  8. race — the arms race
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. snap — to click
  11. cap — of ice
  12. present — the time now
  13. cabinet — a cupboard
  14. field — farmland
  15. cap — a hat
  16. present — there
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. rest — what's left
  19. hand — help
  20. rest — what's left
  21. snap — to snap out of it
  22. field — for sport
  23. race — humankind
  24. present — a gift

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