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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 muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  3. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  4. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  5. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  6. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  7. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  8. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  9. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  10. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  11. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  12. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  13. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  14. David sat on the ________________.
  15. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  16. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  17. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  18. That was a fun ________________.
  19. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  20. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  21. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  22. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  23. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  24. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — to dunk
  2. track — a path
  3. bear — the animal
  4. can — to be able to
  5. game — a kind of play
  6. track — to keep track
  7. track — a song
  8. bear — the animal
  9. board — a committee
  10. can — a tin
  11. bear — to put up with
  12. board — to get on
  13. swing — in golf
  14. swing — to play on
  15. dip — a sauce
  16. cap — of ice
  17. cap — a lid
  18. game — a match
  19. board — a flat piece
  20. dip — to sink
  21. cap — a hat
  22. can — a tin
  23. game — wild animals
  24. swing — music

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