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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 party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  2. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  3. Don't do anything ________________.
  4. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  5. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  6. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  7. She's very handy with a ________________.
  8. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  9. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  10. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  11. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  12. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  13. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  14. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  15. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  16. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  17. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  18. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  19. He works in a ________________ mill.
  20. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  21. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  22. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  23. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  24. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — a series
  2. wind — moving air
  3. rash — hasty
  4. bowl — a football final
  5. cue — a hint
  6. stem — to come from
  7. saw — the tool
  8. stem — of a plant
  9. rash — on the skin
  10. cue — a signal
  11. cue — for pool
  12. saw — past of 'see'
  13. race — a contest
  14. dip — to sink
  15. race — humankind
  16. wind — to turn a key
  17. stem — a stem cell
  18. bowl — a dish
  19. saw — the tool
  20. dip — a sauce
  21. dip — to dunk
  22. bowl — to roll
  23. race — the arms race
  24. wind — moving air

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