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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. That must've been a ________________.
  2. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  3. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  4. We're almost out of ________________.
  5. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  6. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  7. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  8. You don't need to ________________ round.
  9. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  10. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  11. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  12. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  13. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  14. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  15. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  16. It's one o'clock ________________.
  17. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  18. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  19. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  20. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  21. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  22. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  23. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  24. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — a thrill
  2. fork — in a road
  3. spring — the season
  4. pop — soda
  5. pop — music
  6. fork — a garden tool
  7. race — a contest
  8. pop — to visit
  9. wave — a sudden rise
  10. dip — a sauce
  11. fork — to eat with
  12. rush — to hurry
  13. race — the arms race
  14. sharp — clever
  15. spring — of water
  16. sharp — exactly
  17. race — humankind
  18. sharp — with an edge
  19. spring — a coil
  20. wave — of the sea
  21. dip — to dunk
  22. rush — hurry
  23. wave — with your hand
  24. dip — to sink

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