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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. He is an ace ________________.
  2. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  3. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  4. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  5. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  6. My mare is ________________ in color.
  7. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  8. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  9. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  10. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  11. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  12. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  13. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  14. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  15. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  16. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  17. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  18. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  19. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  20. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  21. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  22. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  23. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  24. We took cover from the thunder ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — in baseball
  2. dip — a sauce
  3. deal — a big deal
  4. shower — a meteor shower
  5. dip — to dunk
  6. bay — a horse colour
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. squash — the sport
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. bat — in an idiom
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. squash — to crush
  14. bat — the animal
  15. squash — the vegetable
  16. dip — to sink
  17. shower — to wash
  18. bay — a part of the sea
  19. bat — for baseball
  20. deal — to handle
  21. deal — an agreement
  22. bay — to keep at bay
  23. hide — animal skin
  24. shower — rain

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