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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 am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  2. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  3. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  4. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  5. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  6. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  7. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  8. When will it ________________ you to start?
  9. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  10. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  11. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  12. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  13. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  14. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  15. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  16. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  17. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  18. The water is too ________________.
  19. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  20. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  21. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  22. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  23. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  24. Should I buy a wireless ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. dip — to dunk
  3. bat — the animal
  4. lie — to recline
  5. spring — a coil
  6. cold — an illness
  7. spring — the season
  8. suit — to fit
  9. mouse — the animal
  10. spring — of water
  11. suit — clothes
  12. mouse — the animal
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. dip — a sauce
  16. bat — for baseball
  17. bat — in an idiom
  18. cold — not warm
  19. suit — in cards
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. cold — the Cold War
  22. fan — to cool the air
  23. dip — to sink
  24. mouse — for a computer

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