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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 116 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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  2. There's no middle ________________.
  3. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  4. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  5. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  6. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  7. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  8. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  9. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  10. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  11. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  12. That was a fun ________________.
  13. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  14. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  15. My mare is ________________ in color.
  16. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  17. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  18. Did you ________________ the meat?

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

Answer key

  1. bay — a part of the sea
  2. ground — a position
  3. mark — a grade
  4. dip — to sink
  5. season — of the year
  6. mark — a trace
  7. season — in sport
  8. dip — a sauce
  9. mark — to pay attention
  10. bay — to keep at bay
  11. ground — crushed
  12. game — a match
  13. ground — the earth
  14. dip — to dunk
  15. bay — a horse colour
  16. game — wild animals
  17. game — a kind of play
  18. season — to add flavour

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