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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 120 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. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  3. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  4. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  5. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  6. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  7. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  8. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  9. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  10. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  11. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  12. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  13. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  14. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  15. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  16. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  17. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  18. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  19. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  20. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  21. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  22. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  23. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  24. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — of ice
  2. bat — for baseball
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. spring — of water
  5. pit — a fruit stone
  6. spring — a coil
  7. spring — the season
  8. bat — the animal
  9. lash — a whip stroke
  10. race — humankind
  11. race — the arms race
  12. pit — in a race
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. cap — a hat
  15. pit — a hole
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. lie — to recline
  18. bat — in an idiom
  19. patient — calm and waiting
  20. race — a contest
  21. lash — an eyelash
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. cap — a lid
  24. lash — to lash out

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