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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. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  2. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  3. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  4. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  5. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  6. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  7. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  8. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  9. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  10. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  11. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  12. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  13. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  14. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  15. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  16. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  17. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  18. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  19. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  20. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  21. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  22. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  23. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  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. squash — the sport
  3. dip — to sink
  4. pit — a hole
  5. pit — a fruit stone
  6. board — to get on
  7. spring — of water
  8. rock — a stone
  9. board — a committee
  10. rock — to move gently
  11. squash — to crush
  12. foot — part of the body
  13. chest — a box
  14. rock — music
  15. chest — of your body
  16. foot — a measure
  17. spring — a coil
  18. chest — of your body
  19. board — a flat piece
  20. spring — the season
  21. squash — the vegetable
  22. foot — the bottom
  23. dip — a sauce
  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