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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: craft · pass · pop · mouse · race · cell · dip · spell

  1. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  2. You don't need to ________________ round.
  3. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  4. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  5. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  6. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  7. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  8. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  9. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  10. He was locked up in a ________________.
  11. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  12. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  13. We're almost out of ________________.
  14. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  15. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  16. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  17. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  18. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  19. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  20. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  21. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  22. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  23. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  24. How do you ________________ your surname?

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

Answer key

  1. dip — to dunk
  2. pop — to visit
  3. craft — boats
  4. mouse — for a computer
  5. race — humankind
  6. spell — magic
  7. dip — to sink
  8. spell — a short time
  9. pass — to succeed
  10. cell — in a prison
  11. dip — a sauce
  12. cell — in biology
  13. pop — soda
  14. craft — a skill
  15. mouse — the animal
  16. cell — a phone
  17. pass — to spend time
  18. pop — music
  19. craft — a handicraft
  20. race — a contest
  21. pass — a permit
  22. race — the arms race
  23. mouse — the animal
  24. spell — letters

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