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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. How do you ________________ your surname?
  2. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  3. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  4. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  5. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  6. That must've been a ________________.
  7. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  8. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  9. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  10. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  11. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  12. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  13. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  14. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  15. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  16. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  17. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  18. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  19. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  20. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  21. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  22. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  23. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  24. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — letters
  2. dip — a sauce
  3. safe — out of danger
  4. pitch — a sales talk
  5. spell — magic
  6. rush — a thrill
  7. content — the amount
  8. safe — out of danger
  9. rock — music
  10. rock — a stone
  11. rush — to hurry
  12. race — the arms race
  13. rock — to move gently
  14. race — a contest
  15. dip — to sink
  16. content — happy
  17. spell — a short time
  18. race — humankind
  19. content — videos and posts
  20. pitch — a sports field
  21. rush — hurry
  22. dip — to dunk
  23. safe — a strongbox
  24. pitch — completely

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