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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. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  2. He was locked up in a ________________.
  3. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  4. How do you ________________ your surname?
  5. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  6. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  7. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  8. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  9. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  10. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  11. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  12. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  13. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  14. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  15. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  16. When are we going to ________________?
  17. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  18. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  19. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  20. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  21. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  22. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  23. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  24. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — a sauce
  2. cell — in a prison
  3. spell — magic
  4. spell — letters
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. land — a country
  8. wax — to grow
  9. wax — for sculpting
  10. object — an aim
  11. racket — a loud noise
  12. land — ground
  13. dip — to dunk
  14. rock — music
  15. rock — a stone
  16. land — to come down
  17. rock — to move gently
  18. spell — a short time
  19. cell — in biology
  20. dip — to sink
  21. object — to protest
  22. wax — in the ear
  23. cell — a phone
  24. object — a thing

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