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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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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: lie · kid · wind · wake · bat · mark · race · dip

  1. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  2. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  3. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  4. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  5. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  6. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  7. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  8. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  9. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  10. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  11. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  12. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  13. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  14. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  15. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  16. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  17. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  18. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  19. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  20. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  21. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  22. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  23. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  24. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — the animal
  2. wake — a trail
  3. wind — to turn a key
  4. wind — moving air
  5. wake — to stop sleeping
  6. race — a contest
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. mark — a grade
  9. lie — to recline
  10. dip — a sauce
  11. race — humankind
  12. bat — in an idiom
  13. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  14. bat — for baseball
  15. dip — to dunk
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. dip — to sink
  18. wind — moving air
  19. wake — before a funeral
  20. mark — a trace
  21. kid — child
  22. race — the arms race
  23. mark — to pay attention
  24. kid — to tease

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