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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. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  2. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  3. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  4. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  5. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  6. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  7. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  8. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  9. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  10. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  11. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  12. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  13. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  14. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  15. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  16. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  17. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  18. How do you ________________ your surname?
  19. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  20. Have you settled on a ________________?
  21. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  22. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  23. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  24. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.

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

Answer key

  1. race — a contest
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. race — humankind
  4. date — the fruit
  5. dip — a sauce
  6. wake — to stop sleeping
  7. wake — a trail
  8. staff — employees
  9. staff — a stick
  10. race — the arms race
  11. spell — a short time
  12. wake — before a funeral
  13. branch — of a tree
  14. staff — employees
  15. branch — of a bank
  16. date — on the calendar
  17. dip — to dunk
  18. spell — letters
  19. branch — a division
  20. date — on the calendar
  21. stick — to attach or keep to
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. spell — magic
  24. dip — to sink

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