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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. He works in a ________________ mill.
  2. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  3. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  4. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  5. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  6. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  7. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  8. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  9. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  10. The King held a masked ________________.
  11. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  12. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  13. She's very handy with a ________________.
  14. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  15. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  16. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  17. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  18. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  19. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  20. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  21. Did you ________________ the meat?
  22. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  23. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  24. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. dip — to sink
  3. shower — to wash
  4. can — to be able to
  5. pitch — a sales talk
  6. can — a tin
  7. pitch — a sports field
  8. trunk — of a tree
  9. season — of the year
  10. ball — a dance
  11. pitch — completely
  12. shower — a meteor shower
  13. saw — the tool
  14. dip — a sauce
  15. saw — past of 'see'
  16. trunk — of a car
  17. ball — a great time
  18. shower — rain
  19. season — in sport
  20. trunk — of an elephant
  21. season — to add flavour
  22. can — a tin
  23. ball — a round shape
  24. dip — to dunk

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