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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. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  2. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  3. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  4. The ball is in your ________________.
  5. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  6. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  7. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  8. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  9. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  10. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  11. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  12. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  13. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  14. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  15. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  16. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  17. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  18. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  19. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  20. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  21. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  22. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  23. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  24. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — to dunk
  2. court — of a king
  3. race — a contest
  4. court — for sport
  5. dip — a sauce
  6. stick — to attach or keep to
  7. trunk — of a tree
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. drill — a practice
  10. drill — army training
  11. lash — an eyelash
  12. drill — the tool
  13. race — humankind
  14. trunk — of a car
  15. can — to be able to
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. lash — to lash out
  18. court — of law
  19. dip — to sink
  20. trunk — of an elephant
  21. can — a tin
  22. race — the arms race
  23. can — a tin
  24. lash — a whip stroke

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