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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 124 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 goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  3. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  4. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  5. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  6. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  7. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  8. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  9. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  10. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  11. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  12. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  13. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  14. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  15. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  16. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  17. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  18. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  19. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  20. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  21. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  22. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  23. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  24. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — a sauce
  2. straw — dry grass
  3. mouse — the animal
  4. club — for golf
  5. chair — a leader
  6. dip — to dunk
  7. rock — a stone
  8. jam — in traffic
  9. club — for dancing
  10. chair — to sit on
  11. jam — to spread on bread
  12. dip — to sink
  13. bowl — to roll
  14. straw — to clutch at straws
  15. straw — a straw man
  16. rock — to move gently
  17. jam — a tight spot
  18. mouse — for a computer
  19. chair — a professorship
  20. rock — music
  21. bowl — a dish
  22. mouse — the animal
  23. club — a group
  24. bowl — a football final

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