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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 museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  2. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  3. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  4. My father caught me by the ________________.
  5. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  6. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  7. He is an ace ________________.
  8. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  9. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  10. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  11. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  12. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  13. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  14. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  15. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  16. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  17. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  18. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  19. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  20. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  21. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  22. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  23. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  24. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — for sculpting
  2. race — a contest
  3. degree — temperature
  4. arm — part of the body
  5. pound — for dogs
  6. pound — to hit hard
  7. pitcher — in baseball
  8. chip — to eat
  9. arm — a part of something
  10. chip — for betting
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. race — humankind
  13. degree — from a university
  14. degree — an amount
  15. dip — to dunk
  16. wax — in the ear
  17. dip — to sink
  18. chip — in a computer
  19. wax — to grow
  20. arm — part of the body
  21. dip — a sauce
  22. race — the arms race
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. pound — a weight

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