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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. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  2. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  3. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  4. It's one o'clock ________________.
  5. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  6. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  7. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  8. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  9. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  10. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  11. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  12. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  13. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  14. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  15. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  16. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  17. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  18. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  19. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  20. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  21. I can't ________________ this cold.
  22. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  23. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  24. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — a measure
  2. stand — on your feet
  3. dip — a sauce
  4. sharp — exactly
  5. trunk — of an elephant
  6. dip — to sink
  7. foot — the bottom
  8. trunk — of a tree
  9. foot — part of the body
  10. race — a contest
  11. wake — before a funeral
  12. object — an aim
  13. object — to protest
  14. race — the arms race
  15. wake — to stop sleeping
  16. trunk — of a car
  17. object — a thing
  18. wake — a trail
  19. race — humankind
  20. sharp — clever
  21. stand — to bear
  22. dip — to dunk
  23. sharp — with an edge
  24. stand — for spectators

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