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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: present · mine · sharp · cap · plane · bear · cell · race

  1. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  2. He was locked up in a ________________.
  3. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  4. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  5. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  6. It's one o'clock ________________.
  7. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  8. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  9. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  10. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  11. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  12. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  13. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  14. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  15. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  16. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  17. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  18. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  19. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  20. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  21. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  22. The ________________ took off on time.
  23. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  24. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — the animal
  2. cell — in a prison
  3. present — there
  4. race — humankind
  5. cell — in biology
  6. sharp — exactly
  7. race — the arms race
  8. bear — to put up with
  9. sharp — clever
  10. cap — a lid
  11. present — a gift
  12. cap — of ice
  13. cell — a phone
  14. mine — for digging
  15. mine — belonging to me
  16. mine — an explosive
  17. present — the time now
  18. plane — a tool
  19. bear — the animal
  20. race — a contest
  21. cap — a hat
  22. plane — an aircraft
  23. sharp — with an edge
  24. plane — in geometry

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