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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 like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  3. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  4. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  5. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  6. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  7. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  8. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  9. It's one o'clock ________________.
  10. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  11. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  12. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  13. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  14. He was locked up in a ________________.
  15. The tickets are free of ________________.
  16. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  17. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  18. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  19. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  20. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  21. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  22. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  23. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  24. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. dip — to sink
  2. dip — to dunk
  3. drill — the tool
  4. sharp — clever
  5. band — a ring
  6. spring — a coil
  7. cell — a phone
  8. band — a music group
  9. sharp — exactly
  10. spring — of water
  11. drill — army training
  12. drill — a practice
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. cell — in a prison
  15. charge — a price
  16. spring — the season
  17. sharp — with an edge
  18. dip — a sauce
  19. cell — in biology
  20. band — a rubber band
  21. charge — electricity
  22. lie — to recline
  23. charge — in control
  24. lie — an untruth

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