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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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Word bank
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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: fine · nail · cap · wound · mug · clip · cell · race

  1. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  2. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  3. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  4. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  5. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  6. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  7. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  8. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  9. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  10. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  11. Where did you ________________ them?
  12. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  13. He was locked up in a ________________.
  14. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  15. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  16. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  17. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  18. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  19. The ________________ went through the wall.
  20. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  21. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  22. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  23. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  24. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!

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

Answer key

  1. race — a contest
  2. cap — a hat
  3. race — the arms race
  4. race — humankind
  5. clip — to cut
  6. cap — of ice
  7. fine — all right
  8. nail — on a finger
  9. mug — a cup
  10. clip — for paper
  11. mug — to rob
  12. wound — past of 'wind'
  13. cell — in a prison
  14. cap — a lid
  15. cell — in biology
  16. mug — a face
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. clip — a video
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. wound — an injury
  21. fine — a penalty
  22. wound — an injury
  23. fine — high quality
  24. cell — a phone

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