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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. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  3. You don't need to ________________ round.
  4. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  5. Have you met the new head ________________?
  6. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  7. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  8. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  9. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  10. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  11. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  12. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  13. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  14. We're almost out of ________________.
  15. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  16. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  17. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  18. That must've been a ________________.
  19. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  20. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  21. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  22. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  23. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  24. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — to dunk
  2. shower — a meteor shower
  3. pop — to visit
  4. pop — music
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. fork — to eat with
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. pit — a fruit stone
  9. pit — a hole
  10. dip — to sink
  11. shower — to wash
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. pop — soda
  15. coach — pulled by horses
  16. rush — to hurry
  17. fork — a garden tool
  18. rush — a thrill
  19. dip — a sauce
  20. stick — to attach or keep to
  21. fork — in a road
  22. shower — rain
  23. rush — hurry
  24. pit — in a race

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