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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. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  2. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  3. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  4. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  5. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  6. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  7. How do you ________________ your surname?
  8. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  9. David sat on the ________________.
  10. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  11. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  12. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  13. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  14. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  15. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  16. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  17. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  18. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  19. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  20. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  21. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  22. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  23. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  24. That was a fun ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — a sauce
  2. dip — to dunk
  3. lash — to lash out
  4. staff — employees
  5. mine — an explosive
  6. staff — a stick
  7. spell — letters
  8. lash — an eyelash
  9. swing — to play on
  10. mine — for digging
  11. spell — a short time
  12. race — the arms race
  13. game — a kind of play
  14. staff — employees
  15. dip — to sink
  16. race — humankind
  17. lash — a whip stroke
  18. game — wild animals
  19. swing — music
  20. spell — magic
  21. race — a contest
  22. mine — belonging to me
  23. swing — in golf
  24. game — a match

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