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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. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  2. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  3. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  4. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  5. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  6. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  7. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  8. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  9. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  10. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  11. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  12. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  13. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  14. There's no middle ________________.
  15. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  16. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  17. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  18. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  19. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  20. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  21. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  22. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  23. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  24. How do you ________________ your surname?

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

Answer key

  1. dip — to sink
  2. spring — the season
  3. fan — to cool the air
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. bat — for baseball
  6. ground — crushed
  7. spell — magic
  8. dip — a sauce
  9. rest — what's left
  10. spring — a coil
  11. dip — to dunk
  12. spell — a short time
  13. rest — a break
  14. ground — a position
  15. bat — the animal
  16. rest — what's left
  17. scale — size or range
  18. scale — for weighing
  19. ground — the earth
  20. spring — of water
  21. bat — in an idiom
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. scale — in music
  24. spell — letters

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