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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 120 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. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  3. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  4. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  5. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  6. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  7. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  8. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  9. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  10. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  11. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  12. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  13. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  14. Where did you ________________ them?
  15. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  16. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  17. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  18. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  19. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  20. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  21. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  22. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  23. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  24. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — to dunk
  2. mine — belonging to me
  3. row — a quarrel
  4. fork — to eat with
  5. dip — to sink
  6. wind — moving air
  7. cap — of ice
  8. wind — to turn a key
  9. fork — in a road
  10. rule — a law
  11. row — a line
  12. cap — a lid
  13. cap — a hat
  14. mug — to rob
  15. mug — a cup
  16. rule — government
  17. fork — a garden tool
  18. mine — an explosive
  19. wind — moving air
  20. dip — a sauce
  21. row — to paddle
  22. mine — for digging
  23. rule — to rule out
  24. mug — a face

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