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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 120 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. She's very handy with a ________________.
  3. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  4. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  5. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  6. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  7. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  8. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  9. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  10. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  11. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  12. Did you ________________ the meat?
  13. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  14. He works in a ________________ mill.
  15. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  16. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  17. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  18. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  19. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  20. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  21. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  22. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  23. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  24. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — to dunk
  2. saw — the tool
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. file — a tool
  5. saw — past of 'see'
  6. season — of the year
  7. dip — a sauce
  8. season — in sport
  9. rock — to move gently
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. fan — to cool the air
  12. season — to add flavour
  13. rule — to rule out
  14. saw — the tool
  15. rock — a stone
  16. file — a document
  17. dip — to sink
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. rock — music
  20. rule — a law
  21. file — a line of people
  22. rule — government
  23. racket — a loud noise
  24. racket — for tennis

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