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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 ________________ went through the wall.
  3. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  4. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  5. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  6. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  7. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  8. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  9. The ball is in your ________________.
  10. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  11. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  12. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  13. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  14. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  15. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  16. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  17. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  18. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  19. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  20. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  21. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  22. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  23. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  24. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — to sink
  2. nail — for a hammer
  3. file — a line of people
  4. dip — to dunk
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. racket — a loud noise
  7. fall — to drop
  8. fall — to drop
  9. court — for sport
  10. spring — the season
  11. dip — a sauce
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. spring — of water
  14. fall — the season
  15. file — a tool
  16. court — of law
  17. file — a document
  18. mouse — the animal
  19. court — of a king
  20. mouse — for a computer
  21. spring — a coil
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. nail — on a finger
  24. mouse — the animal

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