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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: foot · squash · mine · cap · pop · fork · race · bear

  1. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  2. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  3. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  4. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  5. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  6. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  7. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  8. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  9. We're almost out of ________________.
  10. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  11. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  12. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  13. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  14. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  15. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  16. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  17. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  18. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  19. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  20. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  21. You don't need to ________________ round.
  22. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  23. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  24. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — to eat with
  2. cap — of ice
  3. race — humankind
  4. fork — a garden tool
  5. bear — the animal
  6. foot — the bottom
  7. squash — to crush
  8. race — a contest
  9. pop — soda
  10. mine — belonging to me
  11. fork — in a road
  12. cap — a lid
  13. bear — the animal
  14. mine — an explosive
  15. cap — a hat
  16. pop — music
  17. squash — the vegetable
  18. squash — the sport
  19. bear — to put up with
  20. foot — part of the body
  21. pop — to visit
  22. race — the arms race
  23. mine — for digging
  24. foot — a measure

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