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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. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  2. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  3. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  4. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  5. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  6. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  7. Have you found your soul ________________?
  8. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  9. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  10. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  11. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  12. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  13. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  14. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  15. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  16. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  17. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  18. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  19. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  20. David sat on the ________________.
  21. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  22. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  23. The King held a masked ________________.
  24. He's taking a ________________ right now.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — a sauce
  2. swing — in golf
  3. ball — a round shape
  4. dip — to dunk
  5. dip — to sink
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. mate — a partner
  8. rock — music
  9. mine — belonging to me
  10. mate — a friend
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. perch — the fish
  13. mine — an explosive
  14. ball — a great time
  15. shower — rain
  16. rock — a stone
  17. mine — for digging
  18. mate — to breed
  19. rock — to move gently
  20. swing — to play on
  21. swing — music
  22. shower — a meteor shower
  23. ball — a dance
  24. shower — to wash

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