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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. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  2. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  3. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  4. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  5. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  6. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  7. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  8. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  9. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  10. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  11. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  12. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  13. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  14. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  15. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  16. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  17. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  18. The King held a masked ________________.
  19. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  20. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  21. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  22. The ________________ market has crashed.
  23. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  24. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — to sink
  2. net — after costs
  3. ball — a round shape
  4. dip — a sauce
  5. ball — a great time
  6. file — a tool
  7. file — a document
  8. kid — child
  9. prune — the fruit
  10. kid — to tease
  11. jam — a tight spot
  12. net — in sport
  13. net — for catching
  14. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  15. stock — goods
  16. prune — to trim
  17. jam — to spread on bread
  18. ball — a dance
  19. file — a line of people
  20. prune — to trim
  21. stock — a soup base
  22. stock — shares
  23. jam — in traffic
  24. dip — to dunk

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