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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. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  2. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  3. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  4. That was a fun ________________.
  5. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  6. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  7. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  8. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  9. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  10. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  11. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  12. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  13. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  14. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  15. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  16. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  17. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  18. When are we going to ________________?
  19. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  20. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  21. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  22. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  23. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  24. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — to dunk
  2. staff — employees
  3. wake — before a funeral
  4. game — a match
  5. craft — a handicraft
  6. pit — a hole
  7. content — the amount
  8. game — a kind of play
  9. pit — in a race
  10. dip — to sink
  11. content — happy
  12. dip — a sauce
  13. wake — to stop sleeping
  14. craft — boats
  15. land — a country
  16. staff — employees
  17. wake — a trail
  18. land — to come down
  19. content — videos and posts
  20. staff — a stick
  21. land — ground
  22. pit — a fruit stone
  23. game — wild animals
  24. craft — a skill

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