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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. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  2. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  3. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  4. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  5. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  6. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  7. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  8. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  9. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  10. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  11. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  12. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  13. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  14. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  15. There's no middle ________________.
  16. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  17. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  18. He was locked up in a ________________.
  19. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  20. Did you ________________ the meat?
  21. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  22. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  23. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  24. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — a sauce
  2. cell — in biology
  3. cue — a hint
  4. dip — to sink
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. ground — crushed
  7. cue — a signal
  8. bank — for money
  9. bank — of a river
  10. jam — to spread on bread
  11. mouse — the animal
  12. jam — a tight spot
  13. mouse — for a computer
  14. cue — for pool
  15. ground — a position
  16. cell — a phone
  17. bank — for money
  18. cell — in a prison
  19. season — of the year
  20. season — to add flavour
  21. season — in sport
  22. jam — in traffic
  23. dip — to dunk
  24. ground — the earth

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