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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. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  2. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  3. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  4. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  5. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  6. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  7. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  8. That was ________________ to happen.
  9. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  10. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  11. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  12. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  13. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  14. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  15. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  16. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  17. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  18. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  19. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  20. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  21. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  22. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  23. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  24. The people resisted their cruel ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — a sauce
  2. fall — to drop
  3. rest — a break
  4. race — the arms race
  5. rest — what's left
  6. net — in sport
  7. bound — obliged
  8. bound — certain
  9. ruler — for measuring
  10. fall — to drop
  11. rest — what's left
  12. fall — the season
  13. dip — to dunk
  14. snap — to snap out of it
  15. net — after costs
  16. snap — to click
  17. bound — tied together
  18. race — a contest
  19. net — for catching
  20. snap — to speak sharply
  21. dip — to sink
  22. ruler — for measuring
  23. race — humankind
  24. ruler — a monarch

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