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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. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  2. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  3. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  4. What do you think of the new ________________?
  5. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  6. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  7. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  8. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  9. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  10. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  11. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  12. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  13. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  14. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  15. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  16. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  17. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  18. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  19. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  20. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  21. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  22. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  23. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  24. That must've been a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — a sauce
  2. mouse — the animal
  3. board — to get on
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. rush — hurry
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. dip — to dunk
  8. race — humankind
  9. board — a flat piece
  10. foot — a measure
  11. rush — to hurry
  12. board — a committee
  13. race — a contest
  14. lean — to bend
  15. mouse — for a computer
  16. dip — to sink
  17. foot — the bottom
  18. foot — part of the body
  19. lean — to rest against
  20. race — the arms race
  21. cabinet — a cupboard
  22. mouse — the animal
  23. lean — thin
  24. rush — a thrill

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