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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. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  3. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  4. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  5. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  6. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  7. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  8. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  9. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  10. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  11. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  12. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  13. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  14. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  15. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  16. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  17. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  18. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  19. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  20. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  21. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  22. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  23. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  24. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — to dunk
  2. toast — bread
  3. bass — the fish
  4. fork — to eat with
  5. ruler — a monarch
  6. ruler — for measuring
  7. straw — a straw man
  8. straw — dry grass
  9. toast — the most admired
  10. bass — low music
  11. spring — of water
  12. can — to be able to
  13. can — a tin
  14. spring — a coil
  15. spring — the season
  16. dip — a sauce
  17. bass — the instrument
  18. dip — to sink
  19. straw — to clutch at straws
  20. toast — a drink to someone
  21. can — a tin
  22. fork — a garden tool
  23. ruler — for measuring
  24. fork — in a road

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