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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 ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  2. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  3. David sat on the ________________.
  4. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  5. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  6. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  7. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  8. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  9. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  10. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  11. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  12. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  13. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  14. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  15. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  16. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  17. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  18. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  19. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  20. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  21. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  22. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  23. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  24. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — a sauce
  2. swing — in golf
  3. swing — to play on
  4. chip — to eat
  5. pitch — a sports field
  6. bark — to shout
  7. wax — for sculpting
  8. wave — a sudden rise
  9. wax — to grow
  10. wave — of the sea
  11. race — a contest
  12. pitch — a sales talk
  13. dip — to sink
  14. dip — to dunk
  15. swing — music
  16. bark — a dog's sound
  17. race — humankind
  18. chip — for betting
  19. pitch — completely
  20. wax — in the ear
  21. wave — with your hand
  22. chip — in a computer
  23. race — the arms race
  24. bark — of a tree

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