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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. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  3. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  4. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  5. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  6. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  7. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  8. Where did you ________________ them?
  9. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  10. The ball is in your ________________.
  11. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  12. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  13. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  14. How do you ________________ your surname?
  15. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  16. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  17. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  18. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  19. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  20. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  21. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  22. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  23. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  24. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.

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. mug — a face
  4. spell — a short time
  5. craft — a skill
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. net — for catching
  8. mug — to rob
  9. mug — a cup
  10. court — for sport
  11. wound — past of 'wind'
  12. court — of law
  13. net — in sport
  14. spell — letters
  15. net — after costs
  16. wound — an injury
  17. wound — an injury
  18. court — of a king
  19. craft — boats
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. dip — a sauce
  22. spell — magic
  23. racket — a loud noise
  24. craft — a handicraft

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