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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. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  3. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  4. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  5. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  6. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  7. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  8. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  9. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  10. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  11. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  12. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  13. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  14. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  15. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  16. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  17. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  18. There's no middle ________________.
  19. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  20. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  21. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  22. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  23. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  24. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — to dunk
  2. fine — all right
  3. bear — the animal
  4. fine — high quality
  5. scale — for weighing
  6. wound — past of 'wind'
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. wound — an injury
  9. club — for golf
  10. ground — crushed
  11. bear — the animal
  12. dip — to sink
  13. club — for dancing
  14. fine — a penalty
  15. stick — to attach or keep to
  16. wound — an injury
  17. bear — to put up with
  18. ground — a position
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. scale — size or range
  21. scale — in music
  22. ground — the earth
  23. club — a group
  24. dip — a sauce

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