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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. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  2. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  3. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  4. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  5. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  6. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  7. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  8. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  9. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  10. The ________________ went through the wall.
  11. False peace will not ________________.
  12. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  13. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  14. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  15. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  16. That must've been a ________________.
  17. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  18. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  19. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  20. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  21. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  22. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  23. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  24. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — with your hand
  2. nail — on a finger
  3. last — finally
  4. race — humankind
  5. race — a contest
  6. face — to point toward
  7. race — the arms race
  8. face — part of the head
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. last — to go on
  12. dip — a sauce
  13. face — to confront
  14. capital — a city
  15. capital — a big letter
  16. rush — a thrill
  17. wave — of the sea
  18. dip — to dunk
  19. dip — to sink
  20. capital — money
  21. rush — hurry
  22. last — final
  23. rush — to hurry
  24. wave — a sudden rise

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