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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. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  2. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  3. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  4. I can't ________________ this cold.
  5. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  6. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  7. We're on a ________________ here.
  8. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  9. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  10. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  11. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  12. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  13. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  14. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  15. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  16. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  17. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  18. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  19. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  20. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  21. Where did you ________________ them?
  22. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  23. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  24. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — the animal
  2. dip — to sink
  3. bat — in an idiom
  4. stand — to bear
  5. spring — the season
  6. staff — a stick
  7. roll — on a roll
  8. stand — for spectators
  9. toast — the most admired
  10. toast — a drink to someone
  11. mug — a face
  12. roll — a cake
  13. staff — employees
  14. roll — a list
  15. stand — on your feet
  16. mug — a cup
  17. toast — bread
  18. dip — to dunk
  19. spring — a coil
  20. bat — for baseball
  21. mug — to rob
  22. spring — of water
  23. dip — a sauce
  24. staff — employees

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