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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. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  2. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  3. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  4. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  5. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  6. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  7. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  8. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  9. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  10. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  11. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  12. That was ________________ to happen.
  13. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  14. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  15. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  16. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  17. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  18. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  19. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  20. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  21. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  22. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  23. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  24. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — to move gently
  2. bat — in an idiom
  3. object — an aim
  4. race — the arms race
  5. race — humankind
  6. dip — to sink
  7. rock — music
  8. present — there
  9. present — a gift
  10. race — a contest
  11. object — to protest
  12. bound — certain
  13. bound — obliged
  14. bat — the animal
  15. rock — a stone
  16. leaves — to go away
  17. present — the time now
  18. leaves — lets stay
  19. leaves — of a tree
  20. object — a thing
  21. bound — tied together
  22. dip — a sauce
  23. dip — to dunk
  24. bat — for baseball

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