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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. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  2. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  3. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  4. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  5. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  6. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  7. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  8. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  9. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  10. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  11. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  12. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  13. How do you ________________ your surname?
  14. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  15. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  16. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  17. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  18. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  19. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  20. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  21. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  22. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  23. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  24. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. race — the arms race
  2. lean — to bend
  3. mouse — the animal
  4. dip — to dunk
  5. lean — thin
  6. lean — to rest against
  7. track — a path
  8. track — a song
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. mouse — the animal
  11. track — to keep track
  12. race — humankind
  13. spell — letters
  14. race — a contest
  15. spell — a short time
  16. mouse — for a computer
  17. dip — a sauce
  18. calf — of the leg
  19. calf — a young animal
  20. shower — to wash
  21. dip — to sink
  22. shower — rain
  23. spell — magic
  24. shower — a meteor shower

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