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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. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  3. We're almost out of ________________.
  4. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  5. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  6. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  7. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  8. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  9. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  10. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  11. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  12. Have you met the new head ________________?
  13. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  14. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  15. The ball is in your ________________.
  16. You don't need to ________________ round.
  17. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  18. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  19. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  20. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  21. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  22. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  23. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  24. The ball hit the back of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — to dunk
  2. object — a thing
  3. pop — soda
  4. court — of a king
  5. court — of law
  6. wind — moving air
  7. dip — to sink
  8. kick — with a leg
  9. object — an aim
  10. dip — a sauce
  11. net — after costs
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. net — for catching
  14. object — to protest
  15. court — for sport
  16. pop — to visit
  17. wind — moving air
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. wind — to turn a key
  20. kick — a thrill
  21. coach — pulled by horses
  22. kick — in football
  23. pop — music
  24. net — in sport

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