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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. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  2. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  3. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  4. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  5. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  6. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  7. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  8. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  9. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  10. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  11. How do you ________________ your surname?
  12. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  13. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  14. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  15. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  16. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  17. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  18. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  19. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  20. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  21. He was locked up in a ________________.
  22. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  23. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  24. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — in biology
  2. dip — to dunk
  3. bear — the animal
  4. spell — a short time
  5. cell — a phone
  6. bear — to put up with
  7. pit — a hole
  8. club — for dancing
  9. mark — a trace
  10. pit — a fruit stone
  11. spell — letters
  12. bear — the animal
  13. mark — to pay attention
  14. dip — a sauce
  15. straw — to clutch at straws
  16. dip — to sink
  17. pit — in a race
  18. club — a group
  19. straw — dry grass
  20. club — for golf
  21. cell — in a prison
  22. straw — a straw man
  23. mark — a grade
  24. spell — magic

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