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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 like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  2. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  3. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  4. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  5. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  6. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  7. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  8. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  9. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  10. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  11. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  12. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  13. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  14. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  15. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  16. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  17. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  18. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  19. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  20. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  21. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  22. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  23. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  24. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — to dunk
  2. wave — with your hand
  3. face — to confront
  4. race — humankind
  5. present — there
  6. face — to point toward
  7. track — to keep track
  8. present — the time now
  9. scale — size or range
  10. scale — for weighing
  11. race — the arms race
  12. track — a song
  13. dip — a sauce
  14. track — a path
  15. present — a gift
  16. scale — in music
  17. dip — to sink
  18. face — part of the head
  19. wave — of the sea
  20. ruler — a monarch
  21. ruler — for measuring
  22. race — a contest
  23. wave — a sudden rise
  24. ruler — for measuring

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