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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. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  2. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  3. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  4. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  5. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  6. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  7. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  8. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  9. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  10. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  11. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  12. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  13. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  14. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  15. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  16. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  17. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  18. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  19. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  20. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  21. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  22. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  23. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  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. race — a contest
  2. track — a song
  3. dip — to dunk
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. clip — to cut
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. clip — a video
  8. patient — calm and waiting
  9. clip — for paper
  10. can — to be able to
  11. race — the arms race
  12. track — a path
  13. track — to keep track
  14. race — humankind
  15. dip — to sink
  16. can — a tin
  17. pitch — a sports field
  18. pitch — a sales talk
  19. dip — a sauce
  20. wind — moving air
  21. can — a tin
  22. wind — to turn a key
  23. pitch — completely
  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