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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. He was locked up in a ________________.
  2. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  3. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  4. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  5. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  6. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  7. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  8. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  9. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  10. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  11. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  12. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  13. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  14. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  15. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  16. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  17. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  18. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  19. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  20. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  21. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  22. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  23. Did you ________________ the meat?
  24. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — in a prison
  2. dip — a sauce
  3. club — for dancing
  4. track — a song
  5. race — the arms race
  6. dip — to dunk
  7. trunk — of an elephant
  8. season — in sport
  9. wax — for sculpting
  10. cell — a phone
  11. club — for golf
  12. trunk — of a tree
  13. race — a contest
  14. track — to keep track
  15. club — a group
  16. wax — in the ear
  17. trunk — of a car
  18. season — of the year
  19. track — a path
  20. cell — in biology
  21. wax — to grow
  22. race — humankind
  23. season — to add flavour
  24. dip — to sink

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