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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. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  2. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  3. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  4. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  5. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  6. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  7. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  8. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  9. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  10. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  11. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  12. The King held a masked ________________.
  13. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  14. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  15. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  16. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  17. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  18. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  19. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  20. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  21. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  22. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  23. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  24. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — a grade
  2. wave — with your hand
  3. dip — to dunk
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. mark — to pay attention
  6. shower — rain
  7. track — a path
  8. straw — a straw man
  9. dip — a sauce
  10. shower — to wash
  11. wave — a sudden rise
  12. ball — a dance
  13. fan — to cool the air
  14. dip — to sink
  15. track — to keep track
  16. wave — of the sea
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. straw — dry grass
  19. shower — a meteor shower
  20. ball — a round shape
  21. ball — a great time
  22. straw — to clutch at straws
  23. mark — a trace
  24. track — a song

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