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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. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  2. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  3. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  4. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  5. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  6. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  7. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  8. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  9. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  10. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  11. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  12. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  13. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  14. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  15. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  16. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  17. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  18. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  19. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  20. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  21. It's one o'clock ________________.
  22. Have you found your soul ________________?
  23. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  24. We're on a ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — to dunk
  2. roll — a cake
  3. mate — a friend
  4. sharp — with an edge
  5. bowl — a dish
  6. chest — a box
  7. club — a group
  8. straw — dry grass
  9. roll — a list
  10. straw — a straw man
  11. dip — a sauce
  12. club — for golf
  13. bowl — a football final
  14. straw — to clutch at straws
  15. chest — of your body
  16. chest — of your body
  17. sharp — clever
  18. dip — to sink
  19. bowl — to roll
  20. club — for dancing
  21. sharp — exactly
  22. mate — a partner
  23. mate — to breed
  24. roll — on a roll

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