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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. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  2. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  3. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  4. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  5. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  6. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  7. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  8. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  9. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  10. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  11. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  12. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  13. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  14. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  15. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  16. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  17. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  18. He is an ace ________________.
  19. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  20. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  21. That was a fun ________________.
  22. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  23. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  24. Fill up this ________________ with water.

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

Answer key

  1. object — an aim
  2. toast — the most admired
  3. leaves — lets stay
  4. object — to protest
  5. game — a kind of play
  6. leaves — of a tree
  7. pit — a fruit stone
  8. toast — a drink to someone
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. race — humankind
  11. leaves — to go away
  12. dip — a sauce
  13. pit — in a race
  14. pit — a hole
  15. dip — to dunk
  16. toast — bread
  17. race — the arms race
  18. pitcher — in baseball
  19. race — a contest
  20. object — a thing
  21. game — a match
  22. game — wild animals
  23. dip — to sink
  24. pitcher — a jug

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