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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. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  2. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  3. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  4. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  5. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  6. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  7. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  8. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  9. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  10. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  11. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  12. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  13. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  14. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  15. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  16. I can't ________________ this cold.
  17. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  18. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  19. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  20. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  21. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  22. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  23. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  24. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — of the sea
  2. stand — for spectators
  3. dip — to dunk
  4. fork — to eat with
  5. dip — a sauce
  6. stand — on your feet
  7. race — humankind
  8. straw — dry grass
  9. capital — a big letter
  10. straw — to clutch at straws
  11. capital — money
  12. capital — a city
  13. scale — for weighing
  14. scale — size or range
  15. wave — a sudden rise
  16. stand — to bear
  17. race — a contest
  18. fork — in a road
  19. fork — a garden tool
  20. wave — with your hand
  21. straw — a straw man
  22. dip — to sink
  23. scale — in music
  24. race — the arms race

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