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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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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 · content · ball · pop · race · capital · wound · pit

  1. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  2. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  3. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  4. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  5. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  6. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  7. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  8. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  9. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  10. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  11. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  12. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  13. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  14. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  15. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  16. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  17. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  18. You don't need to ________________ round.
  19. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  20. The King held a masked ________________.
  21. We're almost out of ________________.
  22. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  23. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  24. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — past of 'wind'
  2. dip — to sink
  3. wound — an injury
  4. race — humankind
  5. content — videos and posts
  6. pit — a fruit stone
  7. content — happy
  8. race — a contest
  9. capital — money
  10. dip — to dunk
  11. wound — an injury
  12. dip — a sauce
  13. pit — a hole
  14. content — the amount
  15. race — the arms race
  16. capital — a city
  17. pop — music
  18. pop — to visit
  19. capital — a big letter
  20. ball — a dance
  21. pop — soda
  22. ball — a round shape
  23. pit — in a race
  24. ball — a great time

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