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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 got dealt a bad ________________.
  2. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  3. There's no middle ________________.
  4. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  5. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  6. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  7. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  8. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  9. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  10. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  11. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  12. What do you think of the new ________________?
  13. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  14. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  15. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  16. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  17. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  18. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  19. It's one o'clock ________________.
  20. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  21. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  22. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  23. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  24. He keeps ________________ of his days.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — in cards
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. ground — a position
  4. sharp — clever
  5. spring — a coil
  6. dip — to sink
  7. stick — to attach or keep to
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. spring — of water
  10. ground — the earth
  11. spring — the season
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. ground — crushed
  14. dip — to dunk
  15. dip — a sauce
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. cabinet — a cupboard
  18. hand — part of the body
  19. sharp — exactly
  20. sharp — with an edge
  21. hand — help
  22. track — a path
  23. track — a song
  24. track — to keep track

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