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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. That was a fun ________________.
  2. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  3. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  4. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  5. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  6. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  7. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  8. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  9. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  10. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  11. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  12. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  13. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  14. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  15. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  16. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  17. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  18. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  19. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  20. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  21. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  22. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  23. Did you ________________ the meat?
  24. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a match
  2. season — of the year
  3. band — a music group
  4. game — wild animals
  5. dip — to sink
  6. file — a tool
  7. track — to keep track
  8. season — in sport
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. game — a kind of play
  11. band — a ring
  12. squash — the vegetable
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. dip — to dunk
  15. track — a song
  16. file — a document
  17. squash — to crush
  18. squash — the sport
  19. track — a path
  20. band — a rubber band
  21. file — a line of people
  22. hide — animal skin
  23. season — to add flavour
  24. dip — a sauce

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