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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. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  3. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  4. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  5. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  6. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  7. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  8. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  9. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  10. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  11. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  12. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  13. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  14. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  15. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  16. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  17. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  18. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  19. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  20. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  21. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  22. The ball is in your ________________.
  23. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  24. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — to sink
  2. pitch — completely
  3. club — for dancing
  4. wound — an injury
  5. can — to be able to
  6. wound — past of 'wind'
  7. trunk — of an elephant
  8. trunk — of a tree
  9. club — a group
  10. hand — in cards
  11. dip — to dunk
  12. club — for golf
  13. hand — help
  14. court — of law
  15. trunk — of a car
  16. pitch — a sales talk
  17. can — a tin
  18. wound — an injury
  19. court — of a king
  20. hand — part of the body
  21. pitch — a sports field
  22. court — for sport
  23. can — a tin
  24. dip — a sauce

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