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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. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  2. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  3. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  4. False peace will not ________________.
  5. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  6. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  7. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  8. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  9. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  10. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  11. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  12. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  13. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  14. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  15. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  16. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  17. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  18. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  19. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  20. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  21. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  22. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  23. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  24. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!

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

Answer key

  1. dip — to sink
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. shower — rain
  4. last — to go on
  5. safe — out of danger
  6. last — finally
  7. snap — to snap out of it
  8. safe — a strongbox
  9. spring — of water
  10. shower — to wash
  11. trunk — of a car
  12. shower — a meteor shower
  13. trunk — of a tree
  14. fan — to cool the air
  15. snap — to click
  16. spring — a coil
  17. safe — out of danger
  18. trunk — of an elephant
  19. snap — to speak sharply
  20. dip — a sauce
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. spring — the season
  23. dip — to dunk
  24. last — final

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