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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. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  2. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  3. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  4. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  5. False peace will not ________________.
  6. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  7. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  8. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  9. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  10. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  11. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  12. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  13. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  14. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  15. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  16. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  17. Have you met the new head ________________?
  18. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  19. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  20. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  21. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  22. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  23. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  24. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!

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

Answer key

  1. dip — a sauce
  2. dip — to dunk
  3. march — the month
  4. race — the arms race
  5. last — to go on
  6. march — the month
  7. shower — a meteor shower
  8. coach — pulled by horses
  9. march — music
  10. perch — the fish
  11. object — to protest
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. object — an aim
  15. shower — to wash
  16. dip — to sink
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. last — finally
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. race — a contest
  21. object — a thing
  22. race — humankind
  23. shower — rain
  24. last — final

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