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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. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  2. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  3. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  4. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  5. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  6. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  7. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  8. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  9. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  10. This piece is in a major ________________.
  11. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  12. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  13. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  14. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  15. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  16. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  17. Don't do anything ________________.
  18. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  19. There's no middle ________________.
  20. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  21. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  22. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  23. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  24. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — a sauce
  2. dip — to sink
  3. spring — the season
  4. bass — the instrument
  5. spring — a coil
  6. fan — to cool the air
  7. snap — to speak sharply
  8. ground — crushed
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. key — in music
  11. key — the most important part
  12. rash — a series
  13. dip — to dunk
  14. snap — to click
  15. bass — low music
  16. bass — the fish
  17. rash — hasty
  18. snap — to snap out of it
  19. ground — a position
  20. spring — of water
  21. rash — on the skin
  22. key — for a lock
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. ground — the earth

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