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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.

Make a worksheet

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. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  3. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  4. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  5. The ball is in your ________________.
  6. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  7. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  8. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  9. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  10. My mare is ________________ in color.
  11. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  12. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  13. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  14. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  15. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  16. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  17. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  18. Have you settled on a ________________?
  19. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  20. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  21. That was ________________ to happen.
  22. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  23. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  24. The King held a masked ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — to dunk
  2. bound — tied together
  3. dip — a sauce
  4. bay — to keep at bay
  5. court — for sport
  6. date — on the calendar
  7. bound — obliged
  8. pit — a hole
  9. ball — a great time
  10. bay — a horse colour
  11. dip — to sink
  12. mine — belonging to me
  13. date — the fruit
  14. ball — a round shape
  15. bay — a part of the sea
  16. pit — a fruit stone
  17. court — of law
  18. date — on the calendar
  19. pit — in a race
  20. court — of a king
  21. bound — certain
  22. mine — an explosive
  23. mine — for digging
  24. ball — a dance

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