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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 124 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. He was locked up in a ________________.
  2. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  3. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  4. That must've been a ________________.
  5. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  6. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  7. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  8. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  9. We're almost out of ________________.
  10. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  11. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  12. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  13. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  14. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  15. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  16. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  17. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  18. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  19. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  20. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  21. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  22. You don't need to ________________ round.
  23. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  24. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — in a prison
  2. dip — a sauce
  3. lean — thin
  4. rush — a thrill
  5. dip — to sink
  6. drill — the tool
  7. cell — in biology
  8. wake — to stop sleeping
  9. pop — soda
  10. cell — a phone
  11. wake — before a funeral
  12. lean — to rest against
  13. wake — a trail
  14. drill — a practice
  15. pop — music
  16. march — the month
  17. march — music
  18. dip — to dunk
  19. rush — hurry
  20. rush — to hurry
  21. lean — to bend
  22. pop — to visit
  23. drill — army training
  24. march — the month

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