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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. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  2. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  3. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  4. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  5. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  6. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  7. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  8. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  9. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  10. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  11. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  12. The tickets are free of ________________.
  13. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  14. David sat on the ________________.
  15. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  16. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  17. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  18. Don't do anything ________________.
  19. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  20. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  21. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  22. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  23. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  24. The flowers bloom in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — a coil
  2. wake — a trail
  3. rash — on the skin
  4. wake — to stop sleeping
  5. face — to confront
  6. charge — electricity
  7. dip — to sink
  8. dip — to dunk
  9. rash — a series
  10. charge — in control
  11. race — the arms race
  12. charge — a price
  13. spring — of water
  14. swing — to play on
  15. race — a contest
  16. face — to point toward
  17. dip — a sauce
  18. rash — hasty
  19. wake — before a funeral
  20. swing — in golf
  21. swing — music
  22. face — part of the head
  23. race — humankind
  24. spring — the season

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