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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. We're almost out of ________________.
  2. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  3. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  4. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  5. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  6. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  7. You don't need to ________________ round.
  8. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  9. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  10. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  11. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  12. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  13. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  14. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  15. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  16. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  17. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  18. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  19. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  20. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  21. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  22. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  23. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  24. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?

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

Answer key

  1. pop — soda
  2. lean — to bend
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. pop — music
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. dip — a sauce
  7. pop — to visit
  8. degree — temperature
  9. race — the arms race
  10. stick — to attach or keep to
  11. mouse — for a computer
  12. dip — to sink
  13. race — a contest
  14. dip — to dunk
  15. present — there
  16. present — the time now
  17. race — humankind
  18. present — a gift
  19. lean — thin
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. lean — to rest against
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. degree — from a university
  24. degree — an amount

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