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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 put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  3. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  4. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  5. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  6. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  7. How do you ________________ your surname?
  8. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  9. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  10. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  11. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  12. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  13. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  14. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  15. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  16. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  17. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  18. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  19. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  20. Don't do anything ________________.
  21. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  22. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  23. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  24. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — to dunk
  2. chair — to sit on
  3. chair — a professorship
  4. scale — size or range
  5. bank — for money
  6. dip — a sauce
  7. spell — letters
  8. rest — what's left
  9. spell — a short time
  10. rest — what's left
  11. spell — magic
  12. bank — for money
  13. dip — to sink
  14. rest — a break
  15. foot — part of the body
  16. rash — on the skin
  17. scale — for weighing
  18. foot — the bottom
  19. scale — in music
  20. rash — hasty
  21. bank — of a river
  22. foot — a measure
  23. chair — a leader
  24. rash — a series

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