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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: wake · tear · race · cabinet · pitch · dip

  1. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  2. What do you think of the new ________________?
  3. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  4. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  5. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  6. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  7. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  8. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  9. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  10. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  11. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  12. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  13. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  14. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  15. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  16. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  17. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  18. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. tear — from crying
  4. dip — to dunk
  5. tear — to rip
  6. pitch — a sports field
  7. dip — a sauce
  8. race — humankind
  9. pitch — a sales talk
  10. pitch — completely
  11. dip — to sink
  12. race — the arms race
  13. wake — a trail
  14. race — a contest
  15. cabinet — a cupboard
  16. wake — to stop sleeping
  17. tear — from crying
  18. wake — before a funeral

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