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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. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  2. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  3. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  4. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  5. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  6. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  7. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  8. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  9. You don't need to ________________ round.
  10. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  11. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  12. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  13. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  14. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  15. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  16. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  17. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  18. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  19. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  20. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  21. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  22. We're almost out of ________________.
  23. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  24. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — before a funeral
  2. race — humankind
  3. dip — to sink
  4. jam — to spread on bread
  5. root — of a plant
  6. race — a contest
  7. capital — money
  8. dip — to dunk
  9. pop — to visit
  10. pop — music
  11. race — the arms race
  12. wake — to stop sleeping
  13. cue — a signal
  14. cue — a hint
  15. dip — a sauce
  16. capital — a big letter
  17. cue — for pool
  18. jam — in traffic
  19. root — of a word
  20. jam — a tight spot
  21. root — the cause
  22. pop — soda
  23. capital — a city
  24. wake — a trail

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