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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. That was a fun ________________.
  3. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  4. I've got to change the light ________________.
  5. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  6. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  7. My mare is ________________ in color.
  8. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  9. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  10. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  11. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  12. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  13. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  14. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  15. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  16. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  17. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  18. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  19. The ball is in your ________________.
  20. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  21. The light ________________ burned out.
  22. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  23. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  24. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — to dunk
  2. game — a match
  3. bay — to keep at bay
  4. bulb — for light
  5. straw — dry grass
  6. court — of law
  7. bay — a horse colour
  8. straw — to clutch at straws
  9. court — of a king
  10. game — wild animals
  11. hand — in cards
  12. hand — help
  13. game — a kind of play
  14. snap — to snap out of it
  15. dip — to sink
  16. bay — a part of the sea
  17. straw — a straw man
  18. dip — a sauce
  19. court — for sport
  20. snap — to speak sharply
  21. bulb — for light
  22. snap — to click
  23. hand — part of the body
  24. bulb — of a plant

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