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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. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  2. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  3. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  4. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  5. You don't need to ________________ round.
  6. My father caught me by the ________________.
  7. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  8. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  9. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  10. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  11. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  12. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  13. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  14. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  15. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  16. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  17. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  18. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  19. We're almost out of ________________.
  20. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  21. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  22. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  23. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  24. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a hat
  2. rule — a law
  3. track — a path
  4. mine — belonging to me
  5. pop — to visit
  6. arm — part of the body
  7. mine — an explosive
  8. cap — of ice
  9. rule — government
  10. race — humankind
  11. track — a song
  12. mine — for digging
  13. rule — to rule out
  14. wax — to grow
  15. wax — in the ear
  16. race — the arms race
  17. race — a contest
  18. track — to keep track
  19. pop — soda
  20. pop — music
  21. cap — a lid
  22. arm — part of the body
  23. arm — a part of something
  24. wax — for sculpting

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