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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. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  2. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  3. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  4. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  5. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  6. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  7. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  8. There's no middle ________________.
  9. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  10. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  11. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  12. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  13. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  14. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  15. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  16. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  17. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  18. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  19. The ________________ went through the wall.
  20. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  21. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  22. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  23. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  24. Add some ________________ pepper to it.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — to sink
  2. pit — a fruit stone
  3. pit — a hole
  4. march — music
  5. ground — the earth
  6. hand — in cards
  7. wind — moving air
  8. ground — a position
  9. nail — on a finger
  10. wind — moving air
  11. pit — in a race
  12. hand — part of the body
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. wind — to turn a key
  15. board — a committee
  16. board — a flat piece
  17. dip — a sauce
  18. march — the month
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. board — to get on
  21. hand — help
  22. dip — to dunk
  23. march — the month
  24. ground — crushed

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