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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 ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  2. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  3. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  4. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  5. She's very handy with a ________________.
  6. He works in a ________________ mill.
  7. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  8. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  9. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  10. My father caught me by the ________________.
  11. I'll be taking the ________________.
  12. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  13. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  14. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  15. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  16. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  17. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  18. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  19. False peace will not ________________.
  20. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  21. He was locked up in a ________________.
  22. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  23. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  24. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!

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

Answer key

  1. dip — a sauce
  2. saw — past of 'see'
  3. last — finally
  4. dip — to sink
  5. saw — the tool
  6. saw — the tool
  7. race — humankind
  8. shower — rain
  9. dip — to dunk
  10. arm — part of the body
  11. tube — the underground
  12. last — final
  13. tube — in a tire
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. arm — a part of something
  16. shower — to wash
  17. cell — in biology
  18. race — the arms race
  19. last — to go on
  20. shower — a meteor shower
  21. cell — in a prison
  22. race — a contest
  23. tube — a container
  24. cell — a phone

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