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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: sharp · race · can · cell · cap · stick · clip · squash

  1. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  2. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  3. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  4. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  5. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  6. He was locked up in a ________________.
  7. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  8. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  9. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  10. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  11. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  12. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  13. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  14. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  15. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  16. It's one o'clock ________________.
  17. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  18. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  19. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  20. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  21. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  22. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  23. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  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. squash — the sport
  2. cap — of ice
  3. can — a tin
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. race — a contest
  6. cell — in a prison
  7. race — humankind
  8. clip — a video
  9. squash — the vegetable
  10. squash — to crush
  11. can — to be able to
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. sharp — clever
  14. sharp — with an edge
  15. clip — to cut
  16. sharp — exactly
  17. cell — in biology
  18. clip — for paper
  19. can — a tin
  20. cap — a lid
  21. race — the arms race
  22. cap — a hat
  23. stick — to attach or keep to
  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