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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. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  3. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  4. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  5. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  6. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  7. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  8. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  9. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  10. The King held a masked ________________.
  11. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  12. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  13. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  14. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  15. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  16. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  17. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  18. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  19. Have you met the new head ________________?
  20. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  21. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  22. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  23. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  24. We took cover from the thunder ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — to dunk
  2. present — the time now
  3. object — to protest
  4. coach — pulled by horses
  5. hand — help
  6. ball — a great time
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. bank — for money
  9. bank — for money
  10. ball — a dance
  11. present — there
  12. bank — of a river
  13. object — a thing
  14. hand — part of the body
  15. ball — a round shape
  16. shower — to wash
  17. present — a gift
  18. dip — a sauce
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. dip — to sink
  21. object — an aim
  22. hand — in cards
  23. shower — a meteor shower
  24. shower — rain

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