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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. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  2. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  3. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  4. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  5. Where did you ________________ them?
  6. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  7. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  8. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  9. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  10. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  11. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  12. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  13. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  14. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  15. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  16. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  17. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  18. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  19. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  20. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  21. How do you ________________ your surname?
  22. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  23. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  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. present — a gift
  2. present — the time now
  3. dip — to sink
  4. race — humankind
  5. mug — to rob
  6. mug — a face
  7. dip — to dunk
  8. face — to point toward
  9. capital — a city
  10. race — a contest
  11. prune — to trim
  12. prune — the fruit
  13. spell — a short time
  14. face — to confront
  15. spell — magic
  16. mug — a cup
  17. dip — a sauce
  18. prune — to trim
  19. face — part of the head
  20. present — there
  21. spell — letters
  22. capital — a big letter
  23. capital — money
  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