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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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: fork · cap · race · mine · deal · cabinet

  1. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  2. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  3. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  4. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  5. What do you think of the new ________________?
  6. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  7. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  8. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  9. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  10. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  11. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  12. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  13. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  14. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  15. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  16. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  17. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  18. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — an explosive
  2. cap — a hat
  3. fork — to eat with
  4. deal — a big deal
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. cap — of ice
  7. race — the arms race
  8. race — humankind
  9. mine — belonging to me
  10. cap — a lid
  11. fork — in a road
  12. mine — for digging
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. fork — a garden tool
  15. deal — an agreement
  16. race — a contest
  17. cabinet — a cupboard
  18. deal — to handle

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