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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 ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  2. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  3. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  4. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  5. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  6. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  7. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  8. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  9. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  10. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  11. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  12. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  13. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  14. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  15. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  16. Have you found your soul ________________?
  17. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  18. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  19. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  20. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  21. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  22. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  23. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  24. The players ran onto the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — a sauce
  2. dip — to dunk
  3. mate — a friend
  4. mark — to pay attention
  5. pass — a permit
  6. bass — the instrument
  7. mine — for digging
  8. snap — to snap out of it
  9. bass — the fish
  10. mark — a grade
  11. bass — low music
  12. mine — belonging to me
  13. dip — to sink
  14. mate — to breed
  15. pass — to spend time
  16. mate — a partner
  17. snap — to click
  18. snap — to speak sharply
  19. mark — a trace
  20. pitch — a sales talk
  21. pitch — completely
  22. pass — to succeed
  23. mine — an explosive
  24. pitch — a sports field

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