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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 116 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. I'll be taking the ________________.
  3. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  4. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  5. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  6. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  7. My mare is ________________ in color.
  8. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  9. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  10. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  11. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  12. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  13. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  14. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  15. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  16. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  17. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  18. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  19. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  20. When will it ________________ you to start?
  21. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  22. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  23. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  24. We ________________ up on opposing sides.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — a sauce
  2. tube — the underground
  3. bowl — to roll
  4. bowl — a dish
  5. wound — an injury
  6. suit — clothes
  7. bay — a horse colour
  8. tear — to rip
  9. bowl — a football final
  10. tear — from crying
  11. dip — to sink
  12. wound — an injury
  13. tube — a container
  14. current — of water
  15. tube — in a tire
  16. current — electric
  17. suit — in cards
  18. dip — to dunk
  19. tear — from crying
  20. suit — to fit
  21. current — happening now
  22. bay — a part of the sea
  23. bay — to keep at bay
  24. wound — past of 'wind'

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