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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 120 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 met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  3. Don't do anything ________________.
  4. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  5. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  6. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  7. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  8. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  9. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  10. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  11. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  12. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  13. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  14. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  15. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  16. My mare is ________________ in color.
  17. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  18. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  19. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  20. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  21. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  22. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  23. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  24. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — to dunk
  2. mine — belonging to me
  3. rash — hasty
  4. rash — on the skin
  5. mine — for digging
  6. bay — a part of the sea
  7. mine — an explosive
  8. branch — of a bank
  9. dip — a sauce
  10. straw — a straw man
  11. club — for dancing
  12. branch — a division
  13. vault — an arched ceiling
  14. straw — to clutch at straws
  15. club — a group
  16. bay — a horse colour
  17. branch — of a tree
  18. vault — in gymnastics
  19. dip — to sink
  20. vault — a safe
  21. rash — a series
  22. club — for golf
  23. straw — dry grass
  24. bay — to keep at bay

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