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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. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  2. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  3. That was a fun ________________.
  4. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  5. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  6. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  7. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  8. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  9. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  10. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  11. I've got to change the light ________________.
  12. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  13. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  14. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  15. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  16. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  17. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  18. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  19. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  20. The King held a masked ________________.
  21. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  22. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  23. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  24. The light ________________ burned out.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — a sauce
  2. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  3. game — a match
  4. kid — child
  5. race — humankind
  6. game — wild animals
  7. race — a contest
  8. clip — for paper
  9. clip — a video
  10. race — the arms race
  11. bulb — for light
  12. dip — to dunk
  13. ball — a round shape
  14. ball — a great time
  15. wake — a trail
  16. game — a kind of play
  17. clip — to cut
  18. bulb — of a plant
  19. dip — to sink
  20. ball — a dance
  21. wake — before a funeral
  22. kid — to tease
  23. wake — to stop sleeping
  24. bulb — for light

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