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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. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  2. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  3. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  4. I've got to change the light ________________.
  5. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  6. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  7. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  8. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  9. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  10. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  11. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  12. The light ________________ burned out.
  13. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  14. That was a fun ________________.
  15. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  16. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  17. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  18. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  19. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  20. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  21. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  22. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  23. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  24. False peace will not ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. can — a tin
  2. spring — a coil
  3. dip — to dunk
  4. bulb — for light
  5. last — final
  6. craft — a handicraft
  7. game — a kind of play
  8. dip — to sink
  9. bulb — of a plant
  10. game — wild animals
  11. can — a tin
  12. bulb — for light
  13. hand — in cards
  14. game — a match
  15. spring — of water
  16. dip — a sauce
  17. last — finally
  18. craft — a skill
  19. hand — help
  20. spring — the season
  21. craft — boats
  22. can — to be able to
  23. hand — part of the body
  24. last — to go on

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