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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 met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  2. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  3. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  4. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  5. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  6. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  7. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  8. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  9. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  10. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  11. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  12. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  13. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  14. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  15. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  16. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  17. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  18. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  19. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  20. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  21. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  22. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  23. It's one o'clock ________________.
  24. I got dealt a bad ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — belonging to me
  2. dip — to dunk
  3. wave — of the sea
  4. spring — the season
  5. dip — a sauce
  6. pound — to hit hard
  7. mouse — for a computer
  8. hand — part of the body
  9. pound — a weight
  10. pound — for dogs
  11. wave — a sudden rise
  12. spring — of water
  13. mine — an explosive
  14. spring — a coil
  15. sharp — with an edge
  16. dip — to sink
  17. sharp — clever
  18. hand — help
  19. mouse — the animal
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. wave — with your hand
  22. mine — for digging
  23. sharp — exactly
  24. hand — in cards

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