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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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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: cold · cap · mug · sharp · race · deal · clip · season

  1. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  2. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  3. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  4. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  5. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  6. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  7. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  8. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  9. It's one o'clock ________________.
  10. Where did you ________________ them?
  11. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  12. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  13. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  14. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  15. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  16. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  17. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  18. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  19. The water is too ________________.
  20. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  21. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  22. Did you ________________ the meat?
  23. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  24. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a cup
  2. sharp — with an edge
  3. deal — to handle
  4. deal — a big deal
  5. season — in sport
  6. cap — a lid
  7. season — of the year
  8. race — the arms race
  9. sharp — exactly
  10. mug — to rob
  11. cap — of ice
  12. clip — to cut
  13. sharp — clever
  14. race — humankind
  15. cold — an illness
  16. cap — a hat
  17. race — a contest
  18. clip — a video
  19. cold — not warm
  20. deal — an agreement
  21. cold — the Cold War
  22. season — to add flavour
  23. clip — for paper
  24. mug — a face

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