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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 116 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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Word bank
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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: dip · race · fall · scale · present · fork

  1. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  2. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  3. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  4. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  5. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  6. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  7. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  8. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  9. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  10. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  11. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  12. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  13. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  14. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  15. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  16. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  17. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  18. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.

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

Answer key

  1. race — the arms race
  2. race — a contest
  3. dip — to sink
  4. fork — to eat with
  5. fall — the season
  6. fall — to drop
  7. present — there
  8. dip — a sauce
  9. race — humankind
  10. dip — to dunk
  11. present — the time now
  12. scale — in music
  13. fork — in a road
  14. present — a gift
  15. scale — size or range
  16. fork — a garden tool
  17. scale — for weighing
  18. fall — to drop

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