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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. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  2. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  3. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  4. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  5. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  6. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  7. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  8. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  9. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  10. We're on a ________________ here.
  11. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  12. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  13. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  14. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  15. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  16. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  17. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  18. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  19. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  20. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  21. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  22. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  23. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  24. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — a cake
  2. fine — a penalty
  3. dip — to dunk
  4. chest — of your body
  5. dip — to sink
  6. toast — a drink to someone
  7. club — for dancing
  8. chest — a box
  9. toast — bread
  10. roll — on a roll
  11. mark — a grade
  12. chest — of your body
  13. mark — to pay attention
  14. fine — high quality
  15. toast — the most admired
  16. dip — a sauce
  17. bat — for baseball
  18. roll — a list
  19. bat — the animal
  20. fine — all right
  21. mark — a trace
  22. club — a group
  23. club — for golf
  24. bat — in an idiom

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