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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. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  3. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  4. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  5. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  6. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  7. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  8. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  9. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  10. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  11. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  12. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  13. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  14. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  15. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  16. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  17. The ________________ took off on time.
  18. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  19. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  20. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  21. When will it ________________ you to start?
  22. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  23. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  24. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — to dunk
  2. suit — in cards
  3. plane — in geometry
  4. spring — of water
  5. present — there
  6. present — the time now
  7. net — in sport
  8. dip — a sauce
  9. mine — for digging
  10. bass — the fish
  11. bass — the instrument
  12. mine — an explosive
  13. net — for catching
  14. spring — the season
  15. net — after costs
  16. present — a gift
  17. plane — an aircraft
  18. suit — clothes
  19. mine — belonging to me
  20. plane — a tool
  21. suit — to fit
  22. bass — low music
  23. dip — to sink
  24. spring — a coil

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