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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. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  3. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  4. I'll be taking the ________________.
  5. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  6. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  7. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  8. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  9. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  10. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  11. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  12. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  13. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  14. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  15. Where did you ________________ them?
  16. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  17. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  18. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  19. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  20. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  21. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  22. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  23. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  24. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. race — a contest
  2. race — humankind
  3. wave — with your hand
  4. tube — the underground
  5. tube — a container
  6. bat — the animal
  7. mug — a cup
  8. lash — to lash out
  9. dip — to sink
  10. content — the amount
  11. bat — for baseball
  12. wave — of the sea
  13. mug — a face
  14. dip — to dunk
  15. mug — to rob
  16. content — videos and posts
  17. bat — in an idiom
  18. wave — a sudden rise
  19. dip — a sauce
  20. content — happy
  21. tube — in a tire
  22. lash — an eyelash
  23. lash — a whip stroke
  24. race — the arms race

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