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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 124 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. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  3. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  4. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  5. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  6. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  7. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  8. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  9. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  10. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  11. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  12. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  13. We're almost out of ________________.
  14. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  15. You don't need to ________________ round.
  16. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  17. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  18. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  19. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  20. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  21. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  22. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  23. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  24. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — to dunk
  2. spring — the season
  3. pop — music
  4. bass — the fish
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. cap — a hat
  7. dip — a sauce
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. wake — before a funeral
  10. jam — to spread on bread
  11. wake — to stop sleeping
  12. bass — the instrument
  13. pop — soda
  14. cap — a lid
  15. pop — to visit
  16. hide — animal skin
  17. jam — a tight spot
  18. wake — a trail
  19. dip — to sink
  20. jam — in traffic
  21. spring — of water
  22. spring — a coil
  23. cap — of ice
  24. bass — low music

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