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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 120 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 like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  2. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  3. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  4. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  5. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  6. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  7. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  8. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  9. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  10. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  11. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  12. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  13. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  14. False peace will not ________________.
  15. My father caught me by the ________________.
  16. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  17. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  18. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  19. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  20. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  21. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  22. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  23. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  24. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — to dunk
  2. dip — to sink
  3. bowl — to roll
  4. arm — a part of something
  5. dip — a sauce
  6. last — finally
  7. last — final
  8. board — a committee
  9. bowl — a dish
  10. bowl — a football final
  11. pound — a weight
  12. wind — to turn a key
  13. board — a flat piece
  14. last — to go on
  15. arm — part of the body
  16. pound — to hit hard
  17. deal — a big deal
  18. arm — part of the body
  19. deal — to handle
  20. board — to get on
  21. wind — moving air
  22. wind — moving air
  23. deal — an agreement
  24. pound — for dogs

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