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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. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  2. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  3. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  4. This piece is in a major ________________.
  5. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  6. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  7. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  8. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  9. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  10. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  11. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  12. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  13. My mare is ________________ in color.
  14. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  15. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  16. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  17. The King held a masked ________________.
  18. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  19. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  20. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  21. How do you ________________ your surname?
  22. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  23. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  24. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. race — humankind
  2. dip — to sink
  3. clip — to cut
  4. key — in music
  5. bay — to keep at bay
  6. spell — magic
  7. key — the most important part
  8. ball — a round shape
  9. spell — a short time
  10. bay — a part of the sea
  11. ball — a great time
  12. dip — a sauce
  13. bay — a horse colour
  14. dip — to dunk
  15. fall — to drop
  16. fall — the season
  17. ball — a dance
  18. race — the arms race
  19. fall — to drop
  20. race — a contest
  21. spell — letters
  22. key — for a lock
  23. clip — for paper
  24. clip — a video

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