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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 116 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. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  2. That must've been a ________________.
  3. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  4. The light ________________ burned out.
  5. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  6. We're almost out of ________________.
  7. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  8. I've got to change the light ________________.
  9. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  10. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  11. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  12. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  13. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  14. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  15. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  16. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  17. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  18. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  19. You don't need to ________________ round.
  20. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  21. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  22. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  23. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  24. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. race — a contest
  2. rush — a thrill
  3. rock — music
  4. bulb — for light
  5. pop — music
  6. pop — soda
  7. dip — to sink
  8. bulb — for light
  9. rush — hurry
  10. stem — to come from
  11. file — a tool
  12. rush — to hurry
  13. rock — a stone
  14. dip — a sauce
  15. file — a document
  16. rock — to move gently
  17. race — the arms race
  18. bulb — of a plant
  19. pop — to visit
  20. dip — to dunk
  21. stem — a stem cell
  22. file — a line of people
  23. race — humankind
  24. stem — of a plant

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