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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'll be taking the ________________.
  2. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  3. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  4. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  5. The ball is in your ________________.
  6. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  7. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  8. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  9. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  10. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  11. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  12. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  13. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  14. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  15. That was a fun ________________.
  16. Don't do anything ________________.
  17. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  18. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  19. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  20. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  21. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  22. Where did you ________________ them?
  23. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  24. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — the underground
  2. rash — a series
  3. dip — a sauce
  4. hide — animal skin
  5. court — for sport
  6. tube — a container
  7. dip — to sink
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. staff — employees
  10. game — wild animals
  11. mug — a cup
  12. dip — to dunk
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. staff — a stick
  15. game — a match
  16. rash — hasty
  17. court — of a king
  18. tube — in a tire
  19. staff — employees
  20. game — a kind of play
  21. rash — on the skin
  22. mug — to rob
  23. mug — a face
  24. court — of law

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