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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. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  2. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  3. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  4. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  5. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  6. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  7. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  8. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  9. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  10. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  11. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  12. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  13. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  14. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  15. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  16. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  17. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  18. That must've been a ________________.
  19. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  20. How do you ________________ your surname?
  21. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  22. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  23. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  24. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. race — humankind
  2. object — a thing
  3. dip — a sauce
  4. field — a subject
  5. race — the arms race
  6. dip — to dunk
  7. rush — hurry
  8. pound — to hit hard
  9. spell — a short time
  10. spell — magic
  11. rush — to hurry
  12. fork — a garden tool
  13. fork — in a road
  14. pound — for dogs
  15. object — an aim
  16. dip — to sink
  17. object — to protest
  18. rush — a thrill
  19. pound — a weight
  20. spell — letters
  21. field — for sport
  22. race — a contest
  23. fork — to eat with
  24. field — farmland

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