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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. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  3. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  4. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  5. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  6. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  7. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  8. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  9. Did you ________________ the meat?
  10. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  11. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  12. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  13. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  14. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  15. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  16. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  17. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  18. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — to dunk
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. lash — a whip stroke
  5. fan — to cool the air
  6. straw — a straw man
  7. lash — to lash out
  8. straw — dry grass
  9. season — to add flavour
  10. lash — an eyelash
  11. dip — a sauce
  12. pitch — a sports field
  13. pitch — completely
  14. pitch — a sales talk
  15. season — in sport
  16. straw — to clutch at straws
  17. season — of the year
  18. dip — to sink

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