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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. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  2. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  3. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  4. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  5. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  6. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  7. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  8. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  9. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  10. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  11. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  12. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  13. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  14. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  15. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  16. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  17. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  18. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  19. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  20. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  21. The ________________ went through the wall.
  22. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  23. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  24. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — to sink
  2. nail — on a finger
  3. hand — help
  4. wake — to stop sleeping
  5. hand — in cards
  6. scale — for weighing
  7. scale — in music
  8. mine — for digging
  9. wake — a trail
  10. mine — belonging to me
  11. craft — a handicraft
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. dip — to dunk
  14. hand — part of the body
  15. track — to keep track
  16. craft — a skill
  17. track — a song
  18. wake — before a funeral
  19. dip — a sauce
  20. craft — boats
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. mine — an explosive
  23. track — a path
  24. scale — size or range

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