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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 116 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. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  2. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  3. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  4. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  5. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  6. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  7. The King held a masked ________________.
  8. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  9. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  10. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  11. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  12. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  13. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  14. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  15. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  16. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  17. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  18. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  19. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  20. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  21. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  22. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  23. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  24. When are we going to ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a hole
  2. mark — a grade
  3. mark — a trace
  4. dip — to dunk
  5. chair — to sit on
  6. deal — a big deal
  7. ball — a dance
  8. land — a country
  9. dip — to sink
  10. deal — an agreement
  11. chair — a leader
  12. ball — a great time
  13. chair — a professorship
  14. land — ground
  15. shower — to wash
  16. pit — a fruit stone
  17. dip — a sauce
  18. shower — rain
  19. mark — to pay attention
  20. deal — to handle
  21. pit — in a race
  22. shower — a meteor shower
  23. ball — a round shape
  24. land — to come down

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