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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. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  2. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  3. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  4. There's no middle ________________.
  5. I'll be taking the ________________.
  6. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  7. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  8. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  9. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  10. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  11. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  12. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  13. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  14. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  15. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  16. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  17. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  18. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  19. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  20. Where did you ________________ them?
  21. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  22. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  23. Did you ________________ the meat?
  24. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — a practice
  2. dip — a sauce
  3. mug — a cup
  4. ground — a position
  5. tube — the underground
  6. tube — in a tire
  7. bat — in an idiom
  8. mug — a face
  9. bat — the animal
  10. season — of the year
  11. dip — to sink
  12. drill — army training
  13. ground — the earth
  14. ground — crushed
  15. field — farmland
  16. field — a subject
  17. drill — the tool
  18. field — for sport
  19. tube — a container
  20. mug — to rob
  21. bat — for baseball
  22. season — in sport
  23. season — to add flavour
  24. dip — to dunk

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