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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. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  2. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  3. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  4. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  5. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  6. My mare is ________________ in color.
  7. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  8. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  9. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  10. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  11. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  12. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  13. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  14. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  15. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  16. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  17. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  18. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  19. When was this ________________ built?
  20. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  21. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  22. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  23. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  24. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — to cut
  2. cap — of ice
  3. ruler — for measuring
  4. bat — in an idiom
  5. clip — for paper
  6. bay — a horse colour
  7. clip — a video
  8. race — the arms race
  9. temple — side of the head
  10. race — a contest
  11. cap — a hat
  12. spring — a coil
  13. race — humankind
  14. bay — a part of the sea
  15. spring — of water
  16. temple — a place of worship
  17. cap — a lid
  18. spring — the season
  19. temple — a place of worship
  20. ruler — a monarch
  21. ruler — for measuring
  22. bat — for baseball
  23. bat — the animal
  24. bay — to keep at bay

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