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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: wave · fall · court · lie · leaves · race · dip · straw

  1. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  2. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  3. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  4. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  5. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  6. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  7. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  8. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  9. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  10. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  11. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  12. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  13. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  14. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  15. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  16. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  17. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  18. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  19. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  20. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  21. The ball is in your ________________.
  22. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  23. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  24. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.

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

Answer key

  1. race — humankind
  2. dip — to dunk
  3. race — a contest
  4. court — of law
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. leaves — of a tree
  7. court — of a king
  8. fall — to drop
  9. straw — dry grass
  10. wave — of the sea
  11. lie — to recline
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. race — the arms race
  14. dip — to sink
  15. straw — to clutch at straws
  16. straw — a straw man
  17. dip — a sauce
  18. fall — the season
  19. leaves — to go away
  20. leaves — lets stay
  21. court — for sport
  22. wave — a sudden rise
  23. fall — to drop
  24. wave — with your hand

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