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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. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  2. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  3. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  4. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  5. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  6. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  7. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  8. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  9. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  10. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  11. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  12. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  13. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  14. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  15. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  16. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  17. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  18. When are we going to ________________?
  19. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  20. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  21. The King held a masked ________________.
  22. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  23. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  24. The polar ice ________________ is melting.

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

Answer key

  1. race — the arms race
  2. cap — a lid
  3. bat — for baseball
  4. bat — in an idiom
  5. ball — a round shape
  6. race — humankind
  7. mouse — the animal
  8. land — a country
  9. mouse — for a computer
  10. dip — to dunk
  11. spring — of water
  12. bat — the animal
  13. spring — the season
  14. dip — to sink
  15. ball — a great time
  16. race — a contest
  17. spring — a coil
  18. land — to come down
  19. land — ground
  20. dip — a sauce
  21. ball — a dance
  22. cap — a hat
  23. mouse — the animal
  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