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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. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  2. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  3. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  4. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  5. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  6. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  7. There's no middle ________________.
  8. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  9. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  10. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  11. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  12. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  13. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  14. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  15. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  16. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  17. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  18. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  19. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  20. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  21. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  22. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  23. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  24. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. dip — to dunk
  3. club — for dancing
  4. bowl — a dish
  5. row — a quarrel
  6. dip — a sauce
  7. ground — a position
  8. track — a song
  9. track — a path
  10. bowl — a football final
  11. row — to paddle
  12. fan — to cool the air
  13. dip — to sink
  14. wax — to grow
  15. bowl — to roll
  16. ground — the earth
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. ground — crushed
  19. wax — for sculpting
  20. track — to keep track
  21. row — a line
  22. club — a group
  23. wax — in the ear
  24. club — for golf

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