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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. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  2. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  3. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  4. This piece is in a major ________________.
  5. Where did you ________________ them?
  6. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  7. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  8. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  9. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  10. That must've been a ________________.
  11. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  12. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  13. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  14. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  15. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  16. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  17. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  18. He is an ace ________________.
  19. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  20. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  21. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  22. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  23. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  24. He's taking a ________________ right now.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — a sauce
  2. key — for a lock
  3. shower — rain
  4. key — in music
  5. mug — to rob
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. dip — to dunk
  8. bat — in an idiom
  9. rush — hurry
  10. rush — a thrill
  11. dip — to sink
  12. mug — a face
  13. key — the most important part
  14. rush — to hurry
  15. shower — a meteor shower
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. bat — the animal
  18. pitcher — in baseball
  19. race — a contest
  20. mug — a cup
  21. race — the arms race
  22. race — humankind
  23. bat — for baseball
  24. shower — to wash

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