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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: cap · fall · rest · lean · mine · race · current · deal

  1. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  2. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  3. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  4. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  5. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  6. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  7. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  8. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  9. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  10. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  11. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  12. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  13. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  14. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  15. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  16. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  17. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  18. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  19. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  20. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  21. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  22. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  23. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  24. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a hat
  2. deal — to handle
  3. mine — an explosive
  4. fall — to drop
  5. race — humankind
  6. cap — a lid
  7. rest — a break
  8. rest — what's left
  9. lean — thin
  10. mine — belonging to me
  11. mine — for digging
  12. current — happening now
  13. rest — what's left
  14. cap — of ice
  15. deal — an agreement
  16. fall — to drop
  17. race — a contest
  18. race — the arms race
  19. lean — to bend
  20. fall — the season
  21. current — of water
  22. current — electric
  23. deal — a big deal
  24. lean — to rest against

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