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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. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  2. The light ________________ burned out.
  3. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  4. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  5. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  6. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  7. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  8. She's very handy with a ________________.
  9. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  10. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  11. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  12. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  13. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  14. It's one o'clock ________________.
  15. He works in a ________________ mill.
  16. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  17. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  18. The King held a masked ________________.
  19. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  20. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  21. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  22. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  23. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  24. I've got to change the light ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — a sauce
  2. bulb — for light
  3. sharp — with an edge
  4. board — to get on
  5. spring — a coil
  6. saw — past of 'see'
  7. tear — from crying
  8. saw — the tool
  9. board — a flat piece
  10. spring — the season
  11. ball — a round shape
  12. sharp — clever
  13. spring — of water
  14. sharp — exactly
  15. saw — the tool
  16. tear — to rip
  17. dip — to dunk
  18. ball — a dance
  19. tear — from crying
  20. board — a committee
  21. bulb — of a plant
  22. ball — a great time
  23. dip — to sink
  24. bulb — for light

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