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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. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  2. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  3. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  4. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  5. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  6. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  7. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  8. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  9. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  10. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  11. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  12. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  13. This piece is in a major ________________.
  14. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  15. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  16. That was a fun ________________.
  17. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  18. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  19. The light ________________ burned out.
  20. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  21. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  22. I've got to change the light ________________.
  23. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  24. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — to dunk
  2. dip — to sink
  3. squash — to crush
  4. key — for a lock
  5. dip — a sauce
  6. hand — in cards
  7. squash — the vegetable
  8. pit — in a race
  9. squash — the sport
  10. bulb — of a plant
  11. key — the most important part
  12. march — music
  13. key — in music
  14. march — the month
  15. game — a kind of play
  16. game — a match
  17. hand — help
  18. march — the month
  19. bulb — for light
  20. pit — a fruit stone
  21. hand — part of the body
  22. bulb — for light
  23. pit — a hole
  24. game — wild animals

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