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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. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  2. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  3. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  4. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  5. Don't do anything ________________.
  6. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  7. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  8. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  9. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  10. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  11. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  12. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  13. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  14. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  15. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  16. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  17. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  18. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  19. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  20. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  21. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  22. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  23. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  24. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. dip — to sink
  3. file — a tool
  4. dip — to dunk
  5. rash — hasty
  6. wind — moving air
  7. present — there
  8. present — the time now
  9. race — a contest
  10. content — happy
  11. rash — a series
  12. rock — music
  13. rock — a stone
  14. wind — to turn a key
  15. rock — to move gently
  16. rash — on the skin
  17. content — videos and posts
  18. file — a document
  19. file — a line of people
  20. dip — a sauce
  21. present — a gift
  22. content — the amount
  23. race — the arms race
  24. race — humankind

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