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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 124 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. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  2. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  3. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  4. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  5. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  6. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  7. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  8. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  9. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  10. I can't ________________ this cold.
  11. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  12. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  13. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  14. How do you ________________ your surname?
  15. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  16. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  17. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  18. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  19. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  20. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  21. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  22. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  23. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  24. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — for digging
  2. hand — part of the body
  3. mark — a trace
  4. hand — help
  5. rest — a break
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. fan — to cool the air
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. dip — a sauce
  10. stand — to bear
  11. stand — for spectators
  12. spell — a short time
  13. mine — an explosive
  14. spell — letters
  15. hand — in cards
  16. mark — a grade
  17. rest — what's left
  18. mark — to pay attention
  19. dip — to sink
  20. rest — what's left
  21. stand — on your feet
  22. mine — belonging to me
  23. spell — magic
  24. dip — to dunk

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