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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. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  2. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  3. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  4. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  5. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  6. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  7. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  8. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  9. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  10. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  11. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  12. The tickets are free of ________________.
  13. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  14. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  15. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  16. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  17. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  18. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  19. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  20. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  21. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  22. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  23. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  24. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — for digging
  2. dip — to dunk
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. tear — from crying
  5. bat — for baseball
  6. fine — high quality
  7. stick — to attach or keep to
  8. can — to be able to
  9. dip — a sauce
  10. can — a tin
  11. mine — an explosive
  12. charge — a price
  13. charge — electricity
  14. tear — from crying
  15. fine — all right
  16. can — a tin
  17. charge — in control
  18. tear — to rip
  19. bat — in an idiom
  20. dip — to sink
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. fine — a penalty
  23. bat — the animal
  24. mine — belonging to me

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