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

  1. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  2. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  3. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  4. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  5. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  6. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  7. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  8. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  9. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  10. Did you ________________ the meat?
  11. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  12. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  13. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  14. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  15. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  16. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  17. The King held a masked ________________.
  18. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — to sink
  2. ball — a great time
  3. hand — part of the body
  4. chair — a professorship
  5. chair — a leader
  6. wake — to stop sleeping
  7. hand — help
  8. chair — to sit on
  9. ball — a round shape
  10. season — to add flavour
  11. dip — a sauce
  12. hand — in cards
  13. wake — a trail
  14. season — of the year
  15. dip — to dunk
  16. season — in sport
  17. ball — a dance
  18. wake — before a funeral

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