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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 116 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. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  2. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  3. The light ________________ burned out.
  4. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  5. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  6. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  7. False peace will not ________________.
  8. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  9. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  10. Don't do anything ________________.
  11. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  12. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  13. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  14. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  15. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  16. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  17. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  18. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  19. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  20. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  21. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  22. I've got to change the light ________________.
  23. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  24. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — to pay attention
  2. wind — moving air
  3. bulb — for light
  4. race — a contest
  5. last — final
  6. mark — a grade
  7. last — to go on
  8. rash — on the skin
  9. mark — a trace
  10. rash — hasty
  11. safe — out of danger
  12. dip — to dunk
  13. safe — a strongbox
  14. race — the arms race
  15. wind — to turn a key
  16. rash — a series
  17. bulb — of a plant
  18. last — finally
  19. safe — out of danger
  20. dip — a sauce
  21. race — humankind
  22. bulb — for light
  23. dip — to sink
  24. wind — moving 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