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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 coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  2. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  3. What do you think of the new ________________?
  4. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  5. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  6. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  7. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  8. The ________________ took off on time.
  9. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  10. Have you settled on a ________________?
  11. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  12. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  13. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  14. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  15. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  16. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  17. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  18. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  19. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  20. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  21. You don't need to ________________ round.
  22. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  23. David sat on the ________________.
  24. We're almost out of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — in golf
  2. swing — music
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. date — on the calendar
  5. dip — a sauce
  6. date — the fruit
  7. dip — to dunk
  8. plane — an aircraft
  9. cabinet — a cupboard
  10. date — on the calendar
  11. race — humankind
  12. dip — to sink
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. tear — from crying
  15. plane — a tool
  16. plane — in geometry
  17. race — the arms race
  18. pop — music
  19. race — a contest
  20. tear — to rip
  21. pop — to visit
  22. tear — from crying
  23. swing — to play on
  24. pop — soda

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