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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. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  2. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  3. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  4. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  5. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  6. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  7. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  8. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  9. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  10. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  11. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  12. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  13. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  14. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  15. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  16. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  17. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  18. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  19. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  20. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  21. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  22. That was a fun ________________.
  23. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  24. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.

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

Answer key

  1. present — a gift
  2. present — the time now
  3. lean — to bend
  4. track — a path
  5. dip — to dunk
  6. toast — the most admired
  7. lean — thin
  8. fan — to cool the air
  9. present — there
  10. dip — to sink
  11. mine — an explosive
  12. toast — a drink to someone
  13. toast — bread
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. track — to keep track
  16. dip — a sauce
  17. mine — for digging
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. track — a song
  20. lean — to rest against
  21. game — wild animals
  22. game — a match
  23. game — a kind of play
  24. mine — belonging to me

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