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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. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  2. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  3. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  4. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  5. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  6. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  7. I can't ________________ this cold.
  8. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  9. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  10. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  11. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  12. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  13. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  14. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  15. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  16. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  17. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  18. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  19. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  20. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  21. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  22. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  23. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  24. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — to dunk
  2. mark — a grade
  3. hand — help
  4. bass — low music
  5. mark — to pay attention
  6. mark — a trace
  7. stand — to bear
  8. lean — thin
  9. bass — the fish
  10. dip — a sauce
  11. pound — for dogs
  12. hand — in cards
  13. bass — the instrument
  14. stand — for spectators
  15. stand — on your feet
  16. pound — a weight
  17. hand — part of the body
  18. lean — to rest against
  19. fork — in a road
  20. dip — to sink
  21. lean — to bend
  22. fork — a garden tool
  23. fork — to eat with
  24. pound — to hit hard

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