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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. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  2. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  3. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  4. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  5. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  6. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  7. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  8. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  9. False peace will not ________________.
  10. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  11. How do you ________________ your surname?
  12. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  13. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  14. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  15. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  16. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  17. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  18. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  19. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  20. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  21. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  22. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  23. Don't do anything ________________.
  24. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — to dunk
  2. race — the arms race
  3. spell — magic
  4. mouse — the animal
  5. bass — the fish
  6. spell — a short time
  7. bass — the instrument
  8. race — a contest
  9. last — to go on
  10. dip — to sink
  11. spell — letters
  12. race — humankind
  13. mouse — the animal
  14. mouse — for a computer
  15. branch — a division
  16. rash — a series
  17. branch — of a bank
  18. dip — a sauce
  19. last — final
  20. last — finally
  21. branch — of a tree
  22. rash — on the skin
  23. rash — hasty
  24. bass — low music

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