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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. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  3. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  4. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  5. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  6. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  7. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  8. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  9. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  10. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  11. We're almost out of ________________.
  12. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  13. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  14. How do you ________________ your surname?
  15. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  16. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  17. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  18. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  19. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  20. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  21. You don't need to ________________ round.
  22. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  23. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  24. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — a sauce
  2. deal — to handle
  3. spring — of water
  4. deal — an agreement
  5. dip — to dunk
  6. wind — to turn a key
  7. wind — moving air
  8. spring — the season
  9. spring — a coil
  10. bass — low music
  11. pop — soda
  12. snap — to speak sharply
  13. bass — the fish
  14. spell — letters
  15. dip — to sink
  16. spell — a short time
  17. deal — a big deal
  18. snap — to click
  19. snap — to snap out of it
  20. wind — moving air
  21. pop — to visit
  22. spell — magic
  23. bass — the instrument
  24. pop — music

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