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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. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  3. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  4. I've got to change the light ________________.
  5. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  6. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  7. The ball is in your ________________.
  8. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  9. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  10. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  11. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  12. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  13. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  14. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  15. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  16. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  17. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  18. What do you think of the new ________________?
  19. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  20. Don't do anything ________________.
  21. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  22. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  23. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  24. The light ________________ burned out.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — to sink
  2. dip — to dunk
  3. rash — on the skin
  4. bulb — for light
  5. club — for golf
  6. club — for dancing
  7. court — for sport
  8. dip — a sauce
  9. cabinet — a cupboard
  10. spring — a coil
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. bulb — of a plant
  13. spring — the season
  14. race — the arms race
  15. rash — a series
  16. court — of a king
  17. race — a contest
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. race — humankind
  20. rash — hasty
  21. court — of law
  22. spring — of water
  23. club — a group
  24. bulb — for light

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