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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. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  2. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  3. We're on a ________________ here.
  4. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  5. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  6. The light ________________ burned out.
  7. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  8. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  9. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  10. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  11. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  12. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  13. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  14. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  15. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  16. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  17. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  18. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  19. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  20. I've got to change the light ________________.
  21. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  22. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  23. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  24. Do you need a ________________ with that?

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a lid
  2. race — a contest
  3. roll — on a roll
  4. hand — in cards
  5. race — the arms race
  6. bulb — for light
  7. bulb — of a plant
  8. spring — a coil
  9. roll — a cake
  10. cap — of ice
  11. cap — a hat
  12. roll — a list
  13. fork — a garden tool
  14. chair — a professorship
  15. chair — to sit on
  16. fork — to eat with
  17. spring — of water
  18. chair — a leader
  19. spring — the season
  20. bulb — for light
  21. fork — in a road
  22. hand — part of the body
  23. race — humankind
  24. hand — help

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