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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. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  2. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  3. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  4. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  5. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  6. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  7. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  8. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  9. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  10. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  11. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  12. When are we going to ________________?
  13. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  14. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  15. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  16. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  17. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  18. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  19. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  20. The tickets are free of ________________.
  21. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  22. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  23. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  24. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — to dunk
  2. march — the month
  3. mine — for digging
  4. land — a country
  5. march — music
  6. hand — help
  7. shower — rain
  8. hand — part of the body
  9. dip — to sink
  10. charge — in control
  11. firm — steady
  12. land — to come down
  13. mine — an explosive
  14. shower — to wash
  15. shower — a meteor shower
  16. hand — in cards
  17. firm — a company
  18. firm — decided
  19. march — the month
  20. charge — a price
  21. charge — electricity
  22. dip — a sauce
  23. mine — belonging to me
  24. land — ground

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