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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. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  2. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  3. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  4. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  5. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  6. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  7. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  8. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  9. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  10. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  11. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  12. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  13. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  14. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  15. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  16. The tickets are free of ________________.
  17. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  18. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  19. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  20. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  21. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  22. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  23. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  24. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — a box
  2. dip — a sauce
  3. charge — electricity
  4. shower — to wash
  5. bowl — a football final
  6. straw — to clutch at straws
  7. charge — in control
  8. bowl — a dish
  9. chest — of your body
  10. bowl — to roll
  11. mine — for digging
  12. straw — dry grass
  13. straw — a straw man
  14. mine — an explosive
  15. dip — to dunk
  16. charge — a price
  17. chest — of your body
  18. shower — rain
  19. mine — belonging to me
  20. pit — in a race
  21. pit — a fruit stone
  22. pit — a hole
  23. shower — a meteor shower
  24. dip — to sink

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