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

Word bank: mate · fall · race · fork · wind · cap · date · bear

  1. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  2. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  3. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  4. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  5. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  6. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  7. Have you settled on a ________________?
  8. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  9. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  10. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  11. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  12. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  13. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  14. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  15. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  16. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  17. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  18. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  19. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  20. Have you found your soul ________________?
  21. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  22. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  23. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  24. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — of ice
  2. wind — to turn a key
  3. fork — in a road
  4. fall — to drop
  5. mate — a friend
  6. race — a contest
  7. date — on the calendar
  8. date — on the calendar
  9. mate — to breed
  10. fall — the season
  11. fork — to eat with
  12. cap — a lid
  13. cap — a hat
  14. bear — the animal
  15. date — the fruit
  16. fork — a garden tool
  17. bear — the animal
  18. wind — moving air
  19. race — humankind
  20. mate — a partner
  21. bear — to put up with
  22. fall — to drop
  23. wind — moving air
  24. race — the arms race

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