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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. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  2. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  3. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  4. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  5. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  6. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  7. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  8. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  9. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  10. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  11. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  12. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  13. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  14. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  15. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  16. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  17. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  18. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  19. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  20. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  21. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  22. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  23. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  24. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — the animal
  2. cap — of ice
  3. wound — past of 'wind'
  4. snap — to speak sharply
  5. race — humankind
  6. wound — an injury
  7. cap — a lid
  8. race — a contest
  9. chest — of your body
  10. wound — an injury
  11. kick — in football
  12. race — the arms race
  13. kick — with a leg
  14. bear — the animal
  15. chest — of your body
  16. cap — a hat
  17. chest — a box
  18. bear — to put up with
  19. drill — a practice
  20. snap — to snap out of it
  21. snap — to click
  22. drill — army training
  23. drill — the tool
  24. kick — a thrill

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