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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. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  2. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  3. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  4. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  5. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  6. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  7. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  8. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  9. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  10. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  11. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  12. Did you ________________ the meat?
  13. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  14. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  15. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  16. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  17. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  18. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  19. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  20. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  21. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  22. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  23. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  24. How do you ________________ your surname?

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

Answer key

  1. dip — to dunk
  2. spell — a short time
  3. cue — a hint
  4. race — the arms race
  5. season — of the year
  6. degree — temperature
  7. cue — a signal
  8. degree — from a university
  9. safe — out of danger
  10. dip — to sink
  11. spell — magic
  12. season — to add flavour
  13. safe — a strongbox
  14. dip — a sauce
  15. capital — a big letter
  16. season — in sport
  17. capital — a city
  18. degree — an amount
  19. race — a contest
  20. capital — money
  21. race — humankind
  22. safe — out of danger
  23. cue — for pool
  24. spell — letters

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