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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. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  2. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  3. What do you think of the new ________________?
  4. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  5. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  6. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  7. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  8. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  9. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  10. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  11. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  12. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  13. Have you settled on a ________________?
  14. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  15. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  16. That must've been a ________________.
  17. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  18. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  19. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  20. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  21. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  22. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  23. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  24. There's a computer ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — hurry
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. bowl — a football final
  5. rush — to hurry
  6. race — humankind
  7. bowl — to roll
  8. cap — a hat
  9. race — a contest
  10. cap — of ice
  11. chip — for betting
  12. cap — a lid
  13. date — on the calendar
  14. chip — to eat
  15. kick — with a leg
  16. rush — a thrill
  17. date — the fruit
  18. bowl — a dish
  19. kick — in football
  20. kick — a thrill
  21. date — on the calendar
  22. race — the arms race
  23. cabinet — a cupboard
  24. chip — in a computer

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