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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. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  2. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  3. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  4. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  5. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  6. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  7. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  8. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  9. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  10. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  11. There's no middle ________________.
  12. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  13. Have you settled on a ________________?
  14. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  15. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  16. He is an ace ________________.
  17. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  18. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  19. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  20. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  21. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  22. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  23. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  24. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. date — on the calendar
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. wave — of the sea
  6. race — a contest
  7. ground — the earth
  8. row — a line
  9. cue — a signal
  10. cue — for pool
  11. ground — a position
  12. race — the arms race
  13. date — on the calendar
  14. row — to paddle
  15. wave — with your hand
  16. pitcher — in baseball
  17. date — the fruit
  18. wave — a sudden rise
  19. ground — crushed
  20. row — a quarrel
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. cue — a hint
  23. hide — animal skin
  24. race — humankind

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