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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. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  2. I'll be taking the ________________.
  3. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  4. Have you met the new head ________________?
  5. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  6. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  7. The ball is in your ________________.
  8. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  9. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  10. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  11. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  12. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  13. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  14. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  15. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  16. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  17. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  18. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  19. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  20. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  21. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  22. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  23. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  24. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — to sink
  2. tube — the underground
  3. march — the month
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. dip — to dunk
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. court — for sport
  8. fan — to cool the air
  9. shower — rain
  10. march — the month
  11. shower — to wash
  12. tube — a container
  13. dip — a sauce
  14. coach — pulled by horses
  15. court — of law
  16. snap — to speak sharply
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. march — music
  19. court — of a king
  20. snap — to snap out of it
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. shower — a meteor shower
  23. tube — in a tire
  24. snap — to click

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