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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: pop · pitcher · kid · dip · spell · saw · race · land

  1. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  2. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  3. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  4. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  5. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  6. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  7. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  8. He is an ace ________________.
  9. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  10. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  11. We're almost out of ________________.
  12. He works in a ________________ mill.
  13. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  14. How do you ________________ your surname?
  15. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  16. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  17. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  18. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  19. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  20. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  21. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  22. When are we going to ________________?
  23. You don't need to ________________ round.
  24. She's very handy with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — music
  2. race — humankind
  3. dip — to sink
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. spell — a short time
  6. land — ground
  7. saw — past of 'see'
  8. pitcher — in baseball
  9. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  10. race — a contest
  11. pop — soda
  12. saw — the tool
  13. kid — child
  14. spell — letters
  15. race — the arms race
  16. land — a country
  17. kid — to tease
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. dip — a sauce
  20. dip — to dunk
  21. spell — magic
  22. land — to come down
  23. pop — to visit
  24. saw — the tool

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