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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 120 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. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  3. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  4. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  5. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  6. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  7. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  8. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  9. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  10. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  11. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  12. The ball is in your ________________.
  13. The ________________ went through the wall.
  14. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  15. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  16. He is an ace ________________.
  17. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  18. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  19. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  20. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  21. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  22. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  23. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  24. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — to dunk
  2. club — for dancing
  3. content — the amount
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. court — of law
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. dip — to sink
  8. nail — on a finger
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. content — happy
  11. mark — a trace
  12. court — for sport
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. mark — a grade
  15. club — a group
  16. pitcher — in baseball
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. fan — to cool the air
  19. mark — to pay attention
  20. content — videos and posts
  21. court — of a king
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. club — for golf
  24. dip — a sauce

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