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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. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  2. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  3. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  4. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  5. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  6. My mare is ________________ in color.
  7. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  8. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  9. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  10. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  11. This piece is in a major ________________.
  12. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  13. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  14. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  15. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  16. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  17. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  18. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?

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

Answer key

  1. dip — to dunk
  2. squash — to crush
  3. key — for a lock
  4. bay — a part of the sea
  5. fan — to cool the air
  6. bay — a horse colour
  7. squash — the sport
  8. dip — a sauce
  9. bay — to keep at bay
  10. squash — the vegetable
  11. key — in music
  12. dip — to sink
  13. file — a document
  14. key — the most important part
  15. file — a line of people
  16. file — a tool
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. fan — a supporter

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