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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. The ________________ took off on time.
  3. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  4. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  5. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  6. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  7. Don't do anything ________________.
  8. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  9. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  10. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  11. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  12. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  13. David sat on the ________________.
  14. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  15. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  16. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  17. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  18. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  19. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  20. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  21. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  22. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  23. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  24. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — to dunk
  2. plane — an aircraft
  3. rash — a series
  4. mine — an explosive
  5. dip — a sauce
  6. drill — a practice
  7. rash — hasty
  8. squash — the sport
  9. squash — the vegetable
  10. swing — in golf
  11. club — for golf
  12. club — a group
  13. swing — to play on
  14. rash — on the skin
  15. plane — a tool
  16. club — for dancing
  17. squash — to crush
  18. plane — in geometry
  19. drill — army training
  20. drill — the tool
  21. mine — for digging
  22. mine — belonging to me
  23. swing — music
  24. dip — to sink

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