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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. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  2. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  3. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  4. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  5. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  6. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  7. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  8. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  9. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  10. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  11. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  12. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  13. I've got to change the light ________________.
  14. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  15. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  16. The light ________________ burned out.
  17. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  18. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  19. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  20. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  21. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  22. That was a fun ________________.
  23. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  24. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — to attach or keep to
  2. dip — to dunk
  3. content — videos and posts
  4. content — happy
  5. squash — the sport
  6. race — the arms race
  7. squash — to crush
  8. wound — an injury
  9. content — the amount
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. squash — the vegetable
  12. race — humankind
  13. bulb — for light
  14. dip — to sink
  15. race — a contest
  16. bulb — for light
  17. wound — an injury
  18. wound — past of 'wind'
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. game — a kind of play
  21. bulb — of a plant
  22. game — a match
  23. dip — a sauce
  24. game — wild animals

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