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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. David sat on the ________________.
  2. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  3. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  4. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  5. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  6. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  7. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  8. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  9. He is an ace ________________.
  10. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  11. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  12. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  13. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  14. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  15. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  16. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  17. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  18. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  19. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  20. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  21. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  22. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  23. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  24. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — to play on
  2. bowl — to roll
  3. dip — to dunk
  4. race — the arms race
  5. dip — to sink
  6. staff — employees
  7. wound — past of 'wind'
  8. race — a contest
  9. pitcher — in baseball
  10. race — humankind
  11. staff — employees
  12. content — the amount
  13. wound — an injury
  14. swing — in golf
  15. content — videos and posts
  16. staff — a stick
  17. bowl — a football final
  18. swing — music
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. dip — a sauce
  21. wound — an injury
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. content — happy
  24. bowl — a dish

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