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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. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  2. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  3. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  4. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  5. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  6. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  7. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  8. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  9. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  10. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  11. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  12. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  13. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  14. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  15. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  16. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  17. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  18. David sat on the ________________.
  19. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  20. How do you ________________ your surname?
  21. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  22. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  23. Where did you ________________ them?
  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. row — a quarrel
  2. race — humankind
  3. swing — in golf
  4. swing — music
  5. mug — a cup
  6. chair — to sit on
  7. mug — a face
  8. mark — to pay attention
  9. spell — magic
  10. mark — a trace
  11. dip — a sauce
  12. mark — a grade
  13. race — a contest
  14. chair — a leader
  15. race — the arms race
  16. chair — a professorship
  17. row — to paddle
  18. swing — to play on
  19. spell — a short time
  20. spell — letters
  21. row — a line
  22. dip — to dunk
  23. mug — to rob
  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