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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. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  2. That was ________________ to happen.
  3. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  4. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  5. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  6. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  7. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  8. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  9. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  10. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  11. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  12. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  13. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  14. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  15. The ________________ market has crashed.
  16. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  17. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  18. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  19. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  20. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  21. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  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. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — to sink
  2. bound — certain
  3. wax — in the ear
  4. squash — to crush
  5. wax — for sculpting
  6. net — for catching
  7. net — in sport
  8. dip — a sauce
  9. race — a contest
  10. squash — the vegetable
  11. bowl — a dish
  12. bound — obliged
  13. race — humankind
  14. net — after costs
  15. stock — shares
  16. stock — a soup base
  17. bowl — a football final
  18. dip — to dunk
  19. bound — tied together
  20. squash — the sport
  21. wax — to grow
  22. bowl — to roll
  23. race — the arms race
  24. stock — goods

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