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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: game · mine · bear · race · snap · face · cap · toast

  1. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  2. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  3. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  4. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  5. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  6. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  7. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  8. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  9. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  10. That was a fun ________________.
  11. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  12. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  13. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  14. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  15. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  16. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  17. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  18. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  19. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  20. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  21. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  22. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  23. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  24. She's sitting on a gold ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — the animal
  2. snap — to snap out of it
  3. mine — an explosive
  4. cap — of ice
  5. mine — belonging to me
  6. snap — to click
  7. race — a contest
  8. bear — to put up with
  9. race — humankind
  10. game — a match
  11. toast — bread
  12. face — to point toward
  13. face — part of the head
  14. cap — a lid
  15. toast — a drink to someone
  16. game — wild animals
  17. toast — the most admired
  18. game — a kind of play
  19. race — the arms race
  20. snap — to speak sharply
  21. face — to confront
  22. bear — the animal
  23. cap — a hat
  24. mine — for digging

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