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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. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  2. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  3. My mare is ________________ in color.
  4. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  5. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  6. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  7. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  8. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  9. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  10. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  11. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  12. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  13. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  14. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  15. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  16. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  17. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  18. When are we going to ________________?
  19. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  20. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  21. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  22. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  23. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  24. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — a sauce
  2. wound — an injury
  3. bay — a horse colour
  4. wound — an injury
  5. rest — a break
  6. straw — dry grass
  7. rest — what's left
  8. bay — a part of the sea
  9. fork — in a road
  10. land — ground
  11. jam — to spread on bread
  12. straw — to clutch at straws
  13. dip — to sink
  14. fork — to eat with
  15. bay — to keep at bay
  16. dip — to dunk
  17. wound — past of 'wind'
  18. land — to come down
  19. jam — in traffic
  20. fork — a garden tool
  21. rest — what's left
  22. land — a country
  23. jam — a tight spot
  24. straw — a straw man

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