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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 hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  2. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  3. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  4. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  5. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  6. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  7. Have you met the new head ________________?
  8. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  9. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  10. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  11. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  12. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  13. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  14. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  15. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  16. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  17. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  18. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  19. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  20. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  21. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  22. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  23. Did you ________________ the meat?
  24. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — a trace
  2. hand — help
  3. mark — to pay attention
  4. hand — in cards
  5. dip — to dunk
  6. pound — to hit hard
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. pound — for dogs
  9. pound — a weight
  10. pit — a fruit stone
  11. deal — a big deal
  12. deal — to handle
  13. mark — a grade
  14. coach — pulled by horses
  15. deal — an agreement
  16. season — in sport
  17. pit — in a race
  18. dip — to sink
  19. pit — a hole
  20. season — of the year
  21. dip — a sauce
  22. hand — part of the body
  23. season — to add flavour
  24. coach — a trainer

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