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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. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  2. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  3. Where did you ________________ them?
  4. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  5. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  6. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  7. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  8. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  9. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  10. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  11. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  12. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  13. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  14. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  15. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  16. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  17. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  18. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  19. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  20. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  21. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  22. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  23. When are we going to ________________?
  24. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a cup
  2. race — a contest
  3. mug — to rob
  4. squash — the sport
  5. squash — the vegetable
  6. land — ground
  7. foot — part of the body
  8. bear — the animal
  9. cap — a lid
  10. field — for sport
  11. squash — to crush
  12. cap — a hat
  13. bear — to put up with
  14. foot — the bottom
  15. field — a subject
  16. foot — a measure
  17. race — humankind
  18. cap — of ice
  19. land — a country
  20. mug — a face
  21. bear — the animal
  22. field — farmland
  23. land — to come down
  24. race — the arms race

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