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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 116 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. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  2. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  3. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  4. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  5. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  6. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  7. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  8. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  9. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  10. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  11. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  12. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  13. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  14. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  15. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  16. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  17. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  18. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  19. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  20. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  21. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  22. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  23. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  24. When are we going to ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. dip — a sauce
  2. race — humankind
  3. stem — a stem cell
  4. rest — what's left
  5. dip — to sink
  6. dip — to dunk
  7. hand — in cards
  8. mark — to pay attention
  9. wind — to turn a key
  10. wind — moving air
  11. rest — a break
  12. hand — help
  13. stem — to come from
  14. race — the arms race
  15. land — ground
  16. stem — of a plant
  17. land — a country
  18. race — a contest
  19. rest — what's left
  20. wind — moving air
  21. mark — a trace
  22. hand — part of the body
  23. mark — a grade
  24. land — to come down

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