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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. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  2. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  3. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  4. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  5. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  6. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  7. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  8. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  9. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  10. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  11. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  12. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  13. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  14. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  15. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  16. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  17. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  18. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  19. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  20. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  21. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  22. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  23. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  24. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — to dunk
  2. bat — in an idiom
  3. capital — a city
  4. shower — to wash
  5. dip — to sink
  6. rule — to rule out
  7. race — the arms race
  8. shower — a meteor shower
  9. safe — out of danger
  10. mine — for digging
  11. safe — a strongbox
  12. safe — out of danger
  13. race — a contest
  14. rule — government
  15. capital — a big letter
  16. mine — an explosive
  17. shower — rain
  18. dip — a sauce
  19. race — humankind
  20. bat — the animal
  21. rule — a law
  22. bat — for baseball
  23. capital — money
  24. mine — belonging to me

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