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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. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  2. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  3. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  4. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  5. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  6. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  7. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  8. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  9. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  10. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  11. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  12. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  13. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  14. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  15. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  16. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  17. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  18. The King held a masked ________________.
  19. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  20. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  21. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  22. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  23. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  24. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to bend
  2. race — the arms race
  3. race — a contest
  4. degree — from a university
  5. ball — a round shape
  6. lie — to recline
  7. degree — temperature
  8. race — humankind
  9. mark — a grade
  10. degree — an amount
  11. dip — a sauce
  12. lean — to rest against
  13. bore — gave birth
  14. dip — to dunk
  15. mark — a trace
  16. bore — to drill
  17. mark — to pay attention
  18. ball — a dance
  19. lean — thin
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. dip — to sink
  22. bore — to tire
  23. ball — a great time
  24. lie — an untruth

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