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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. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  2. Have you found your soul ________________?
  3. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  4. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  5. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  6. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  7. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  8. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  9. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  10. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  11. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  12. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  13. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  14. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  15. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  16. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  17. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  18. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  19. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  20. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  21. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  22. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  23. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  24. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — to dunk
  2. mate — a partner
  3. dip — a sauce
  4. race — humankind
  5. mate — to breed
  6. cap — a lid
  7. bore — gave birth
  8. toast — the most admired
  9. bore — to tire
  10. squash — the sport
  11. squash — the vegetable
  12. cap — a hat
  13. squash — to crush
  14. bore — to drill
  15. toast — bread
  16. cap — of ice
  17. race — the arms race
  18. toast — a drink to someone
  19. race — a contest
  20. dip — to sink
  21. mate — a friend
  22. row — a line
  23. row — a quarrel
  24. row — to paddle

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