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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. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  3. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  4. David sat on the ________________.
  5. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  6. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  7. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  8. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  9. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  10. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  11. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  12. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  13. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  14. Where did you ________________ them?
  15. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  16. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  17. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  18. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  19. The ball is in your ________________.
  20. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  21. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  22. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  23. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  24. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — to dunk
  2. court — of law
  3. fall — to drop
  4. swing — to play on
  5. court — of a king
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. fall — the season
  8. fall — to drop
  9. swing — music
  10. spring — a coil
  11. mug — a cup
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. mug — to rob
  15. perch — the fish
  16. swing — in golf
  17. spring — of water
  18. dip — to sink
  19. court — for sport
  20. mug — a face
  21. dip — a sauce
  22. spring — the season
  23. fan — to cool the air
  24. fan — a supporter

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