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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 116 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. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  2. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  3. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  4. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  5. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  6. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  7. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  8. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  9. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  10. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  11. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  12. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  13. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  14. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  15. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  16. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  17. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  18. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  19. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  20. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  21. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  22. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  23. Have you met the new head ________________?
  24. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. fine — all right
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. dip — to dunk
  5. bat — the animal
  6. dip — to sink
  7. dip — a sauce
  8. club — for golf
  9. fine — high quality
  10. stick — to attach or keep to
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. club — a group
  13. bat — in an idiom
  14. band — a music group
  15. cap — of ice
  16. fine — a penalty
  17. cap — a hat
  18. coach — pulled by horses
  19. club — for dancing
  20. band — a ring
  21. band — a rubber band
  22. bat — for baseball
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. cap — a lid

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