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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. Where did you ________________ them?
  3. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  4. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  5. The ________________ market has crashed.
  6. The ball is in your ________________.
  7. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  8. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  9. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  10. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  11. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  12. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  13. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  14. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  15. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  16. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  17. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  18. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  19. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  20. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  21. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  22. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  23. Have you met the new head ________________?
  24. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?

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

Answer key

  1. dip — a sauce
  2. mug — to rob
  3. coach — pulled by horses
  4. net — after costs
  5. stock — shares
  6. court — for sport
  7. pit — a fruit stone
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. stock — a soup base
  10. stock — goods
  11. court — of law
  12. pit — a hole
  13. net — in sport
  14. hide — animal skin
  15. pit — in a race
  16. mug — a cup
  17. net — for catching
  18. mug — a face
  19. dip — to dunk
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. court — of a king
  22. dip — to sink
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. hide — to keep secret

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