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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 120 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. Have you met the new head ________________?
  3. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  4. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  5. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  6. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  7. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  8. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  9. My father caught me by the ________________.
  10. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  11. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  12. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  13. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  14. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  15. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  16. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  17. The King held a masked ________________.
  18. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  19. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  20. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  21. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  22. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  23. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  24. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — a sauce
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. deal — to handle
  4. hand — help
  5. wave — a sudden rise
  6. mine — for digging
  7. wave — of the sea
  8. mine — belonging to me
  9. arm — part of the body
  10. dip — to sink
  11. ball — a great time
  12. hand — in cards
  13. hand — part of the body
  14. coach — pulled by horses
  15. arm — part of the body
  16. ball — a round shape
  17. ball — a dance
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. wave — with your hand
  20. deal — a big deal
  21. dip — to dunk
  22. deal — an agreement
  23. mine — an explosive
  24. arm — a part of something

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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