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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 girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  2. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  3. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  4. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  5. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  6. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  7. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  8. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  9. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  10. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  11. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  12. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  13. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  14. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  15. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  16. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  17. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  18. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  19. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  20. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  21. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  22. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  23. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  24. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a line
  2. wake — to stop sleeping
  3. vault — an arched ceiling
  4. dip — to dunk
  5. wound — an injury
  6. row — a quarrel
  7. wake — before a funeral
  8. row — to paddle
  9. race — a contest
  10. race — humankind
  11. wound — an injury
  12. wake — a trail
  13. vault — a safe
  14. mark — a trace
  15. dip — to sink
  16. net — after costs
  17. net — in sport
  18. net — for catching
  19. wound — past of 'wind'
  20. mark — to pay attention
  21. race — the arms race
  22. vault — in gymnastics
  23. mark — a grade
  24. dip — a sauce

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