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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. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  2. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  3. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  4. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  5. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  6. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  7. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  8. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  9. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  10. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  11. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  12. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  13. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  14. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  15. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  16. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  17. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  18. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  19. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  20. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  21. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  22. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  23. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  24. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. can — to be able to
  2. dip — to dunk
  3. prune — to trim
  4. dip — to sink
  5. race — a contest
  6. prune — the fruit
  7. vault — an arched ceiling
  8. can — a tin
  9. can — a tin
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. bass — the fish
  12. board — a flat piece
  13. race — the arms race
  14. lie — to recline
  15. prune — to trim
  16. board — a committee
  17. bass — low music
  18. vault — a safe
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. board — to get on
  21. dip — a sauce
  22. vault — in gymnastics
  23. bass — the instrument
  24. race — humankind

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