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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. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  3. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  4. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  5. The light ________________ burned out.
  6. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  7. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  8. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  9. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  10. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  11. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  12. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  13. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  14. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  15. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  16. I've got to change the light ________________.
  17. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  18. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  19. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  20. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  21. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  22. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  23. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  24. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — to dunk
  2. mine — for digging
  3. wound — past of 'wind'
  4. spring — a coil
  5. bulb — for light
  6. wound — an injury
  7. dip — a sauce
  8. pitch — a sales talk
  9. deal — to handle
  10. fall — to drop
  11. pitch — completely
  12. spring — the season
  13. pitch — a sports field
  14. mine — belonging to me
  15. mine — an explosive
  16. bulb — for light
  17. fall — the season
  18. wound — an injury
  19. deal — an agreement
  20. dip — to sink
  21. bulb — of a plant
  22. fall — to drop
  23. spring — of water
  24. deal — a big deal

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