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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. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  2. That was a fun ________________.
  3. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  4. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  5. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  6. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  7. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  8. We're almost out of ________________.
  9. She's very handy with a ________________.
  10. He works in a ________________ mill.
  11. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  12. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  13. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  14. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  15. You don't need to ________________ round.
  16. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  17. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  18. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  19. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  20. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  21. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  22. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  23. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  24. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — a trace
  2. game — a match
  3. fall — to drop
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. game — a kind of play
  6. fan — to cool the air
  7. mark — a grade
  8. pop — soda
  9. saw — the tool
  10. saw — the tool
  11. fall — to drop
  12. pop — music
  13. lash — a whip stroke
  14. dip — a sauce
  15. pop — to visit
  16. saw — past of 'see'
  17. lash — to lash out
  18. dip — to sink
  19. game — wild animals
  20. mark — to pay attention
  21. lash — an eyelash
  22. dip — to dunk
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. fall — the season

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