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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. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  2. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  3. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  4. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  5. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  6. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  7. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  8. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  9. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  10. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  11. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  12. Have you found your soul ________________?
  13. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  14. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  15. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  16. How do you ________________ your surname?
  17. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  18. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  19. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  20. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  21. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  22. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  23. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  24. ________________ you help me carry this box?

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

Answer key

  1. dip — to dunk
  2. can — a tin
  3. dip — a sauce
  4. rock — music
  5. rock — to move gently
  6. march — the month
  7. cap — a hat
  8. mate — a friend
  9. dip — to sink
  10. spell — a short time
  11. hand — help
  12. mate — a partner
  13. march — music
  14. rock — a stone
  15. hand — in cards
  16. spell — letters
  17. mate — to breed
  18. cap — of ice
  19. spell — magic
  20. march — the month
  21. cap — a lid
  22. hand — part of the body
  23. can — a tin
  24. can — to be able to

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