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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. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  2. False peace will not ________________.
  3. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  4. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  5. We're almost out of ________________.
  6. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  7. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  8. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  9. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  10. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  11. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  12. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  13. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  14. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  15. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  16. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  17. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  18. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  19. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  20. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  21. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  22. You don't need to ________________ round.
  23. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  24. Can you turn the ________________ on?

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

Answer key

  1. dip — to dunk
  2. last — to go on
  3. pitch — completely
  4. pop — music
  5. pop — soda
  6. wound — past of 'wind'
  7. last — final
  8. pitch — a sales talk
  9. mine — for digging
  10. wound — an injury
  11. mine — belonging to me
  12. mine — an explosive
  13. last — finally
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. dip — a sauce
  16. wax — to grow
  17. dip — to sink
  18. wax — for sculpting
  19. wound — an injury
  20. wax — in the ear
  21. pitch — a sports field
  22. pop — to visit
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. fan — to cool the air

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