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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 120 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. When are we going to ________________?
  2. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  3. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  4. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  5. Don't do anything ________________.
  6. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  7. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  8. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  9. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  10. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  11. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  12. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  13. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  14. He was locked up in a ________________.
  15. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  16. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  17. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  18. He is an ace ________________.
  19. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  20. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  21. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  22. The tickets are free of ________________.
  23. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  24. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.

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

Answer key

  1. land — to come down
  2. cell — in biology
  3. mark — a grade
  4. mark — a trace
  5. rash — hasty
  6. rash — a series
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. land — ground
  9. mark — to pay attention
  10. charge — electricity
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. cell — a phone
  13. race — the arms race
  14. cell — in a prison
  15. dip — to sink
  16. rash — on the skin
  17. race — humankind
  18. pitcher — in baseball
  19. land — a country
  20. charge — in control
  21. race — a contest
  22. charge — a price
  23. dip — to dunk
  24. dip — a sauce

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