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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. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  2. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  3. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  4. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  5. Have you found your soul ________________?
  6. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  7. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  8. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  9. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  10. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  11. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  12. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  13. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  14. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  15. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  16. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  17. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  18. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  19. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  20. There's no middle ________________.
  21. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  22. That must've been a ________________.
  23. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  24. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — to cool the air
  2. dip — to sink
  3. dip — to dunk
  4. pitch — completely
  5. mate — a partner
  6. ground — crushed
  7. chair — to sit on
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. straw — to clutch at straws
  10. ground — the earth
  11. dip — a sauce
  12. chair — a professorship
  13. straw — dry grass
  14. straw — a straw man
  15. pitch — a sports field
  16. chair — a leader
  17. rush — to hurry
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. mate — a friend
  20. ground — a position
  21. rush — hurry
  22. rush — a thrill
  23. pitch — a sales talk
  24. mate — to breed

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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