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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. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  3. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  4. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  5. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  6. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  7. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  8. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  9. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  10. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  11. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  12. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  13. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  14. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  15. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  16. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  17. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  18. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  19. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  20. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  21. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  22. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  23. Did you ________________ the meat?
  24. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — a sauce
  2. wound — an injury
  3. dip — to dunk
  4. present — the time now
  5. march — the month
  6. present — a gift
  7. pound — for dogs
  8. bowl — a dish
  9. season — of the year
  10. dip — to sink
  11. wound — past of 'wind'
  12. drill — a practice
  13. drill — the tool
  14. bowl — to roll
  15. bowl — a football final
  16. pound — to hit hard
  17. season — in sport
  18. wound — an injury
  19. drill — army training
  20. march — music
  21. present — there
  22. march — the month
  23. season — to add flavour
  24. pound — a weight

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