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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. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  3. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  4. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  5. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  6. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  7. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  8. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  9. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  10. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  11. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  12. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  13. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  14. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  15. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  16. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  17. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  18. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  19. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  20. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  21. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  22. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  23. That was a fun ________________.
  24. The ________________ went through the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — to dunk
  2. dip — to sink
  3. dip — a sauce
  4. fine — all right
  5. march — music
  6. fine — high quality
  7. march — the month
  8. net — in sport
  9. stick — to attach or keep to
  10. field — for sport
  11. game — wild animals
  12. fine — a penalty
  13. net — after costs
  14. field — farmland
  15. net — for catching
  16. nail — on a finger
  17. march — the month
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. field — a subject
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. game — a kind of play
  23. game — a match
  24. nail — for a hammer

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