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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'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  2. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  3. He is an ace ________________.
  4. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  5. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  6. My father caught me by the ________________.
  7. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  8. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  9. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  10. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  11. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  12. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  13. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  14. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  15. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  16. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  17. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  18. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  19. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  20. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  21. The tickets are free of ________________.
  22. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  23. I'll be taking the ________________.
  24. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — part of the body
  2. dip — to sink
  3. pitcher — in baseball
  4. tube — a container
  5. dip — a sauce
  6. arm — part of the body
  7. dip — to dunk
  8. shower — a meteor shower
  9. shower — to wash
  10. shower — rain
  11. race — humankind
  12. charge — electricity
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. wound — past of 'wind'
  15. wound — an injury
  16. arm — a part of something
  17. wound — an injury
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. charge — in control
  20. race — a contest
  21. charge — a price
  22. tube — in a tire
  23. tube — the underground
  24. race — the arms race

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