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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. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  2. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  3. There's no middle ________________.
  4. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  5. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  6. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  7. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  8. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  9. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  10. Where did you ________________ them?
  11. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  12. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  13. That was ________________ to happen.
  14. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  15. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  16. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  17. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  18. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  19. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  20. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  21. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  22. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  23. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  24. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — to sink
  2. file — a document
  3. ground — a position
  4. ground — the earth
  5. tear — to rip
  6. straw — to clutch at straws
  7. file — a tool
  8. dip — to dunk
  9. dip — a sauce
  10. mug — to rob
  11. mug — a cup
  12. prune — the fruit
  13. bound — certain
  14. ground — crushed
  15. mug — a face
  16. tear — from crying
  17. tear — from crying
  18. prune — to trim
  19. prune — to trim
  20. bound — obliged
  21. file — a line of people
  22. straw — dry grass
  23. bound — tied together
  24. straw — a straw man

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