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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. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  3. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  4. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  5. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  6. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  7. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  8. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  9. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  10. The ________________ went through the wall.
  11. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  12. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  13. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  14. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  15. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  16. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  17. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  18. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  19. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  20. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  21. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  22. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  23. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  24. When was this ________________ built?

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

Answer key

  1. dip — to dunk
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. temple — side of the head
  4. fan — to cool the air
  5. dip — a sauce
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. pound — a weight
  8. pit — a hole
  9. current — of water
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. pit — in a race
  12. nail — on a finger
  13. march — the month
  14. pound — for dogs
  15. march — the month
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. current — happening now
  18. march — music
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. pit — a fruit stone
  21. pound — to hit hard
  22. dip — to sink
  23. current — electric
  24. temple — a place of worship

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