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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. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  2. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  3. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  4. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  5. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  6. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  7. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  8. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  9. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  10. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  11. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  12. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  13. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  14. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  15. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  16. Don't do anything ________________.
  17. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  18. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  19. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  20. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  21. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  22. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  23. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  24. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — a sauce
  2. mine — for digging
  3. cap — of ice
  4. rest — a break
  5. file — a tool
  6. mine — an explosive
  7. cap — a lid
  8. rock — to move gently
  9. mine — belonging to me
  10. chair — to sit on
  11. rock — music
  12. dip — to sink
  13. rest — what's left
  14. chair — a professorship
  15. rock — a stone
  16. rash — hasty
  17. dip — to dunk
  18. cap — a hat
  19. chair — a leader
  20. rash — a series
  21. file — a document
  22. rash — on the skin
  23. rest — what's left
  24. file — a line of people

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