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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. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  2. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  3. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  4. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  5. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  6. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  7. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  8. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  9. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  10. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  11. This piece is in a major ________________.
  12. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  13. My mare is ________________ in color.
  14. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  15. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  16. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  17. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  18. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  19. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  20. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  21. There's no middle ________________.
  22. It's one o'clock ________________.
  23. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  24. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — a sauce
  2. sharp — clever
  3. spring — the season
  4. key — the most important part
  5. band — a music group
  6. ground — crushed
  7. bay — to keep at bay
  8. drill — army training
  9. key — for a lock
  10. drill — the tool
  11. key — in music
  12. spring — a coil
  13. bay — a horse colour
  14. bay — a part of the sea
  15. band — a ring
  16. drill — a practice
  17. band — a rubber band
  18. dip — to dunk
  19. ground — the earth
  20. sharp — with an edge
  21. ground — a position
  22. sharp — exactly
  23. dip — to sink
  24. spring — of water

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