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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. He was locked up in a ________________.
  2. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  3. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  4. That was ________________ to happen.
  5. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  6. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  7. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  8. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  9. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  10. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  11. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  12. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  13. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  14. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  15. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  16. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  17. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  18. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  19. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  20. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  21. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  22. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  23. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  24. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — in a prison
  2. rest — a break
  3. bark — of a tree
  4. bound — certain
  5. rest — what's left
  6. cap — a lid
  7. mine — an explosive
  8. mine — for digging
  9. bound — tied together
  10. bark — to shout
  11. bound — obliged
  12. stick — to attach or keep to
  13. bark — a dog's sound
  14. cell — in biology
  15. cap — a hat
  16. mine — belonging to me
  17. cell — a phone
  18. race — the arms race
  19. cap — of ice
  20. race — humankind
  21. race — a contest
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. rest — what's left
  24. stick — a piece of wood

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