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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. I'll be taking the ________________.
  2. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  3. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  4. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  5. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  6. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  7. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  8. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  9. You don't need to ________________ round.
  10. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  11. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  12. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  13. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  14. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  15. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  16. It's one o'clock ________________.
  17. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  18. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  19. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  20. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  21. We're almost out of ________________.
  22. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  23. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  24. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — the underground
  2. race — a contest
  3. drill — a practice
  4. dip — to sink
  5. wave — with your hand
  6. wave — a sudden rise
  7. tube — a container
  8. dip — a sauce
  9. pop — to visit
  10. racket — a loud noise
  11. drill — army training
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. sharp — clever
  14. tube — in a tire
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. sharp — exactly
  17. pop — music
  18. drill — the tool
  19. dip — to dunk
  20. sharp — with an edge
  21. pop — soda
  22. race — the arms race
  23. race — humankind
  24. wave — of the sea

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