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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. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  2. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  3. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  4. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  5. There's no middle ________________.
  6. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  7. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  8. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  9. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  10. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  11. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  12. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  13. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  14. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  15. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  16. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  17. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  18. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  19. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  20. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  21. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  22. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  23. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  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. dip — to sink
  2. kid — child
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. ground — a position
  6. track — a song
  7. fan — to cool the air
  8. hide — animal skin
  9. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  10. track — to keep track
  11. track — a path
  12. kid — to tease
  13. deal — an agreement
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. deal — a big deal
  16. mine — an explosive
  17. ground — crushed
  18. ground — the earth
  19. mine — belonging to me
  20. mine — for digging
  21. dip — a sauce
  22. deal — to handle
  23. fan — a supporter
  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