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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. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  2. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  3. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  4. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  5. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  6. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  7. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  8. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  9. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  10. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  11. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  12. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  13. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  14. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  15. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  16. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  17. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  18. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  19. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  20. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  21. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  22. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  23. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  24. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — to dunk
  2. mouse — the animal
  3. wake — a trail
  4. mouse — for a computer
  5. straw — dry grass
  6. board — a flat piece
  7. dip — a sauce
  8. wake — to stop sleeping
  9. fan — to cool the air
  10. mouse — the animal
  11. board — to get on
  12. march — the month
  13. club — for golf
  14. club — for dancing
  15. dip — to sink
  16. straw — a straw man
  17. board — a committee
  18. straw — to clutch at straws
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. wake — before a funeral
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. march — the month
  23. march — music
  24. club — a group

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