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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. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  2. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  3. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  4. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  5. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  6. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  7. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  8. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  9. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  10. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  11. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  12. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  13. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  14. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  15. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  16. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  17. That was ________________ to happen.
  18. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  19. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  20. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  21. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  22. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  23. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  24. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.

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

Answer key

  1. race — a contest
  2. face — to point toward
  3. cap — of ice
  4. bore — to tire
  5. pass — to succeed
  6. race — the arms race
  7. bound — obliged
  8. face — part of the head
  9. cap — a lid
  10. clip — a video
  11. pass — to spend time
  12. clip — to cut
  13. bound — tied together
  14. cap — a hat
  15. clip — for paper
  16. net — after costs
  17. bound — certain
  18. face — to confront
  19. pass — a permit
  20. net — in sport
  21. net — for catching
  22. race — humankind
  23. bore — to drill
  24. bore — gave birth

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