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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. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  3. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  4. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  5. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  6. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  7. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  8. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  9. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  10. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  11. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  12. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  13. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  14. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  15. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  16. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  17. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  18. How do you ________________ your surname?
  19. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  20. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  21. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  22. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  23. The water is too ________________.
  24. I play ________________ in a jazz band.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — a sauce
  2. straw — a straw man
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. net — for catching
  5. straw — to clutch at straws
  6. ruler — for measuring
  7. ruler — a monarch
  8. bass — low music
  9. dip — to dunk
  10. spell — magic
  11. dip — to sink
  12. bass — the fish
  13. ruler — for measuring
  14. lie — to recline
  15. spell — a short time
  16. cold — the Cold War
  17. straw — dry grass
  18. spell — letters
  19. net — after costs
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. net — in sport
  22. cold — an illness
  23. cold — not warm
  24. bass — the instrument

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