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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. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  2. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  3. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  4. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  5. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  6. The water is too ________________.
  7. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  8. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  9. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  10. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  11. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  12. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  13. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  14. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  15. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  16. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  17. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  18. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  19. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  20. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  21. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  22. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  23. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  24. False peace will not ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — lets stay
  2. mark — a grade
  3. ruler — for measuring
  4. mark — a trace
  5. last — final
  6. cold — not warm
  7. dip — a sauce
  8. leaves — of a tree
  9. dip — to dunk
  10. wax — for sculpting
  11. ruler — for measuring
  12. leaves — to go away
  13. race — the arms race
  14. race — humankind
  15. last — finally
  16. race — a contest
  17. cold — the Cold War
  18. mark — to pay attention
  19. dip — to sink
  20. ruler — a monarch
  21. cold — an illness
  22. wax — to grow
  23. wax — in the ear
  24. last — to go on

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