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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. Where did you ________________ them?
  2. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  3. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  4. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  5. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  6. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  7. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  8. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  9. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  10. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  11. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  12. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  13. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  14. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  15. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  16. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  17. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  18. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  19. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  20. I've got to change the light ________________.
  21. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  22. The light ________________ burned out.
  23. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  24. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — to rob
  2. dip — to sink
  3. bulb — of a plant
  4. chest — of your body
  5. hand — in cards
  6. hand — part of the body
  7. squash — to crush
  8. pound — to hit hard
  9. chair — a leader
  10. mug — a cup
  11. chair — to sit on
  12. chest — of your body
  13. pound — for dogs
  14. dip — to dunk
  15. hand — help
  16. dip — a sauce
  17. chest — a box
  18. squash — the vegetable
  19. squash — the sport
  20. bulb — for light
  21. mug — a face
  22. bulb — for light
  23. pound — a weight
  24. chair — a professorship

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