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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. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  2. The ________________ went through the wall.
  3. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  4. David sat on the ________________.
  5. He was locked up in a ________________.
  6. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  7. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  8. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  9. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  10. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  11. The ________________ market has crashed.
  12. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  13. There's no middle ________________.
  14. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  15. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  16. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  17. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  18. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  19. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  20. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  21. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  22. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  23. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  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. nail — for a hammer
  3. swing — music
  4. swing — to play on
  5. cell — in a prison
  6. face — part of the head
  7. ground — the earth
  8. stock — a soup base
  9. stock — goods
  10. nail — on a finger
  11. stock — shares
  12. cell — in biology
  13. ground — a position
  14. squash — the sport
  15. ground — crushed
  16. face — to point toward
  17. squash — to crush
  18. squash — the vegetable
  19. swing — in golf
  20. face — to confront
  21. cell — a phone
  22. dip — a sauce
  23. nail — for a hammer
  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