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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. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  2. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  3. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  4. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  5. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  6. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  7. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  8. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  9. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  10. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  11. My mare is ________________ in color.
  12. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  13. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  14. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  15. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  16. We're almost out of ________________.
  17. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  18. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  19. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  20. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  21. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  22. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  23. You don't need to ________________ round.
  24. I'll be taking the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — to sink
  2. mine — an explosive
  3. field — farmland
  4. field — a subject
  5. mine — belonging to me
  6. dip — to dunk
  7. fall — to drop
  8. field — for sport
  9. fall — the season
  10. fork — a garden tool
  11. bay — a horse colour
  12. tube — in a tire
  13. mine — for digging
  14. fall — to drop
  15. dip — a sauce
  16. pop — soda
  17. fork — in a road
  18. fork — to eat with
  19. bay — to keep at bay
  20. pop — music
  21. bay — a part of the sea
  22. tube — a container
  23. pop — to visit
  24. tube — the underground

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