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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. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  2. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  3. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  4. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  5. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  6. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  7. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  8. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  9. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  10. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  11. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  12. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  13. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  14. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  15. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  16. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  17. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  18. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  19. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  20. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  21. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  22. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  23. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  24. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a football final
  2. chest — of your body
  3. can — a tin
  4. dip — to dunk
  5. can — a tin
  6. race — the arms race
  7. dip — to sink
  8. chest — a box
  9. rest — what's left
  10. chest — of your body
  11. bowl — a dish
  12. race — humankind
  13. can — to be able to
  14. firm — decided
  15. dip — a sauce
  16. rest — what's left
  17. field — farmland
  18. field — for sport
  19. race — a contest
  20. firm — steady
  21. field — a subject
  22. rest — a break
  23. firm — a company
  24. bowl — to roll

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