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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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  2. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  3. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  4. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  5. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  6. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  7. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  8. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  9. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  10. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  11. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  12. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  13. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  14. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  15. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  16. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  17. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  18. Can you turn the ________________ on?

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

Answer key

  1. dip — to sink
  2. degree — from a university
  3. race — the arms race
  4. foot — the bottom
  5. race — humankind
  6. dip — a sauce
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. pit — a fruit stone
  9. race — a contest
  10. foot — a measure
  11. dip — to dunk
  12. degree — an amount
  13. foot — part of the body
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. pit — a hole
  16. degree — temperature
  17. pit — in a race
  18. fan — to cool the air

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