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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. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  2. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  3. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  4. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  5. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  6. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  7. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  8. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  9. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  10. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  11. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  12. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  13. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  14. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  15. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  16. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  17. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  18. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  19. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  20. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  21. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  22. We're on a ________________ here.
  23. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  24. That was a fun ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — a straw man
  2. dip — to sink
  3. mark — to pay attention
  4. spring — a coil
  5. straw — to clutch at straws
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. spring — of water
  8. lie — to recline
  9. mark — a trace
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. straw — dry grass
  12. prune — the fruit
  13. spring — the season
  14. game — a kind of play
  15. prune — to trim
  16. dip — a sauce
  17. roll — a cake
  18. prune — to trim
  19. roll — a list
  20. dip — to dunk
  21. game — wild animals
  22. roll — on a roll
  23. mark — a grade
  24. game — a match

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