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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. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  2. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  3. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  4. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  5. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  6. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  7. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  8. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  9. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  10. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  11. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  12. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  13. When was this ________________ built?
  14. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  15. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  16. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  17. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  18. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  19. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  20. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  21. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  22. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  23. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  24. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — to tease
  2. mark — a trace
  3. bear — the animal
  4. cap — a lid
  5. pound — a weight
  6. bear — to put up with
  7. bear — the animal
  8. temple — side of the head
  9. mark — a grade
  10. mark — to pay attention
  11. race — a contest
  12. cap — of ice
  13. temple — a place of worship
  14. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  15. spring — of water
  16. spring — a coil
  17. cap — a hat
  18. pound — to hit hard
  19. pound — for dogs
  20. spring — the season
  21. race — the arms race
  22. kid — child
  23. race — humankind
  24. temple — a place of worship

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