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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. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  2. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  3. Have you found your soul ________________?
  4. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  5. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  6. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  7. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  8. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  9. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  10. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  11. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  12. The water is too ________________.
  13. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  14. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  15. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  16. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  17. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  18. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  19. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  20. There's no middle ________________.
  21. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  22. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  23. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  24. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — a practice
  2. dip — a sauce
  3. mate — a partner
  4. fine — a penalty
  5. drill — the tool
  6. dip — to sink
  7. bass — the fish
  8. mate — to breed
  9. mate — a friend
  10. fine — all right
  11. dip — to dunk
  12. cold — not warm
  13. bass — low music
  14. fine — high quality
  15. ground — crushed
  16. mark — to pay attention
  17. mark — a grade
  18. cold — the Cold War
  19. mark — a trace
  20. ground — a position
  21. drill — army training
  22. cold — an illness
  23. bass — the instrument
  24. ground — the earth

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