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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. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  2. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  3. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  4. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  5. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  6. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  7. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  8. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  9. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  10. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  11. The water is too ________________.
  12. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  13. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  14. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  15. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  16. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  17. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  18. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  19. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  20. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  21. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  22. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  23. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  24. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — to sink
  2. dip — to dunk
  3. rock — a stone
  4. field — a subject
  5. race — humankind
  6. race — a contest
  7. bank — for money
  8. bank — for money
  9. cold — an illness
  10. bank — of a river
  11. cold — not warm
  12. race — the arms race
  13. field — farmland
  14. dip — a sauce
  15. shower — to wash
  16. staff — a stick
  17. staff — employees
  18. shower — a meteor shower
  19. rock — to move gently
  20. rock — music
  21. field — for sport
  22. cold — the Cold War
  23. shower — rain
  24. staff — employees

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