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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 fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  2. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  3. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  4. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  5. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  6. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  7. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  8. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  9. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  10. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  11. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  12. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  13. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  14. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  15. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  16. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  17. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  18. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  19. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  20. He is an ace ________________.
  21. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  22. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  23. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  24. A black ________________ roamed the forest.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the fish
  2. dip — a sauce
  3. chair — to sit on
  4. cap — of ice
  5. mine — belonging to me
  6. chair — a professorship
  7. cap — a lid
  8. dip — to dunk
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. snap — to speak sharply
  11. mine — an explosive
  12. chair — a leader
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. bear — the animal
  15. mine — for digging
  16. snap — to snap out of it
  17. bass — the instrument
  18. bear — to put up with
  19. snap — to click
  20. pitcher — in baseball
  21. dip — to sink
  22. cap — a hat
  23. bass — low music
  24. bear — the animal

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