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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. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  2. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  3. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  4. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  5. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  6. What do you think of the new ________________?
  7. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  8. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  9. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  10. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  11. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  12. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  13. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  14. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  15. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  16. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  17. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  18. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  19. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  20. Have you settled on a ________________?
  21. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  22. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  23. He is an ace ________________.
  24. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. cabinet — a cupboard
  3. race — humankind
  4. race — a contest
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. fine — high quality
  8. object — to protest
  9. date — on the calendar
  10. dip — a sauce
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. date — the fruit
  13. fine — all right
  14. face — to confront
  15. face — part of the head
  16. face — to point toward
  17. dip — to sink
  18. race — the arms race
  19. fine — a penalty
  20. date — on the calendar
  21. dip — to dunk
  22. object — a thing
  23. pitcher — in baseball
  24. object — an aim

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