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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. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  3. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  4. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  5. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  6. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  7. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  8. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  9. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  10. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  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. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  14. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  15. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  16. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  17. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  18. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  19. Did you ________________ the meat?
  20. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  21. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  22. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  23. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  24. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.

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

Answer key

  1. race — the arms race
  2. cap — of ice
  3. cue — a hint
  4. field — farmland
  5. season — in sport
  6. race — humankind
  7. stem — of a plant
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. cap — a lid
  10. cue — a signal
  11. cap — a hat
  12. race — a contest
  13. straw — to clutch at straws
  14. field — a subject
  15. season — of the year
  16. field — for sport
  17. straw — a straw man
  18. straw — dry grass
  19. season — to add flavour
  20. cue — for pool
  21. lie — to recline
  22. stem — to come from
  23. lie — an untruth
  24. stem — a stem cell

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