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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. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  2. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  3. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  4. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  5. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  6. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  7. He is an ace ________________.
  8. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  9. Where did you ________________ them?
  10. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  11. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  12. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  13. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  14. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  15. The ________________ market has crashed.
  16. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  17. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  18. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  19. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  20. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  21. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  22. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  23. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  24. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — to sink
  2. dip — a sauce
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. racket — a loud noise
  7. pitcher — in baseball
  8. drill — the tool
  9. mug — to rob
  10. mug — a face
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. mug — a cup
  14. stock — goods
  15. stock — shares
  16. lie — to recline
  17. stock — a soup base
  18. dip — to dunk
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. drill — a practice
  22. stick — to attach or keep to
  23. racket — for tennis
  24. drill — army training

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