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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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: race · stick · cell · craft · dip · fall

  1. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  2. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  3. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  4. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  5. He was locked up in a ________________.
  6. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  7. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  8. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  9. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  10. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  11. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  12. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  13. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  14. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  15. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  16. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  17. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  18. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.

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

Answer key

  1. race — a contest
  2. dip — to dunk
  3. race — humankind
  4. craft — a skill
  5. cell — in a prison
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. craft — a handicraft
  8. race — the arms race
  9. dip — to sink
  10. fall — to drop
  11. dip — a sauce
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. stick — to attach or keep to
  14. cell — a phone
  15. fall — the season
  16. fall — to drop
  17. craft — boats
  18. cell — in biology

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