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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 120 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. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  2. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  3. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  4. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  5. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  6. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  7. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  8. We're almost out of ________________.
  9. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  10. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  11. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  12. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  13. The ________________ took off on time.
  14. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  15. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  16. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  17. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  18. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  19. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  20. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  21. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  22. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  23. You don't need to ________________ round.
  24. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.

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

Answer key

  1. race — humankind
  2. content — videos and posts
  3. pop — music
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. dip — to dunk
  6. content — the amount
  7. plane — in geometry
  8. pop — soda
  9. stem — to come from
  10. present — the time now
  11. content — happy
  12. present — there
  13. plane — an aircraft
  14. present — a gift
  15. race — a contest
  16. race — the arms race
  17. dip — to sink
  18. stem — of a plant
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. dip — a sauce
  21. perch — the fish
  22. stem — a stem cell
  23. pop — to visit
  24. plane — a tool

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