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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.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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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. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  2. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  3. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  4. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  5. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  6. He is an ace ________________.
  7. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  8. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  9. The King held a masked ________________.
  10. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  11. That was a fun ________________.
  12. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  13. The ________________ went through the wall.
  14. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  15. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  16. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  17. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  18. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  19. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  20. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  21. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  22. He works in a ________________ mill.
  23. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  24. She's very handy with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. present — a gift
  2. dip — to dunk
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. present — there
  5. game — a kind of play
  6. pitcher — in baseball
  7. ball — a great time
  8. lash — a whip stroke
  9. ball — a dance
  10. lash — an eyelash
  11. game — a match
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. present — the time now
  16. game — wild animals
  17. nail — on a finger
  18. saw — past of 'see'
  19. lash — to lash out
  20. ball — a round shape
  21. dip — a sauce
  22. saw — the tool
  23. dip — to sink
  24. saw — the tool

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