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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. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  3. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  4. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  5. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  6. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  7. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  8. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  9. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  10. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  11. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  12. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  13. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  14. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  15. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  16. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  17. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  18. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  19. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  20. Have you met the new head ________________?
  21. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  22. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  23. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  24. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — to dunk
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. fan — to cool the air
  4. lean — to bend
  5. lean — thin
  6. kick — in football
  7. squash — the vegetable
  8. pit — a hole
  9. squash — to crush
  10. kick — a thrill
  11. pit — in a race
  12. kick — with a leg
  13. lean — to rest against
  14. dip — to sink
  15. band — a ring
  16. coach — pulled by horses
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. pit — a fruit stone
  19. squash — the sport
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. band — a music group
  23. band — a rubber band
  24. dip — a sauce

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