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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 116 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. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  2. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  3. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  4. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  5. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  6. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  7. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  8. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  9. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  10. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  11. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  12. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  13. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  14. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  15. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  16. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  17. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  18. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  19. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  20. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  21. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  22. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  23. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  24. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to bend
  2. race — the arms race
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. lean — thin
  5. bowl — a football final
  6. perch — the fish
  7. chip — in a computer
  8. dip — a sauce
  9. bowl — to roll
  10. dip — to dunk
  11. content — videos and posts
  12. tear — to rip
  13. lean — to rest against
  14. bowl — a dish
  15. content — the amount
  16. tear — from crying
  17. chip — for betting
  18. dip — to sink
  19. content — happy
  20. race — a contest
  21. race — humankind
  22. tear — from crying
  23. chip — to eat
  24. perch — for a bird

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