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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 120 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: kid · cabinet · ball · leaves · tube · race · dip · snap

  1. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  2. I'll be taking the ________________.
  3. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  4. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  5. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  6. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  7. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  8. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  9. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  10. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  11. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  12. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  13. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  14. The King held a masked ________________.
  15. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  16. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  17. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  18. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  19. What do you think of the new ________________?
  20. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  21. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  22. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  23. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  24. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — to sink
  2. tube — the underground
  3. race — humankind
  4. snap — to click
  5. kid — to tease
  6. tube — in a tire
  7. cabinet — a cupboard
  8. leaves — lets stay
  9. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  10. leaves — to go away
  11. tube — a container
  12. dip — to dunk
  13. snap — to snap out of it
  14. ball — a dance
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. snap — to speak sharply
  17. ball — a round shape
  18. leaves — of a tree
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. race — the arms race
  21. ball — a great time
  22. kid — child
  23. dip — a sauce
  24. race — a contest

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