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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. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  3. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  4. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  5. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  6. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  7. There's no middle ________________.
  8. My father caught me by the ________________.
  9. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  10. It's one o'clock ________________.
  11. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  12. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  13. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  14. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  15. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  16. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  17. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  18. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  19. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  20. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  21. We're on a ________________ here.
  22. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  23. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  24. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — a sauce
  2. band — a rubber band
  3. dip — to sink
  4. ground — the earth
  5. ground — crushed
  6. roll — a list
  7. ground — a position
  8. arm — part of the body
  9. wound — past of 'wind'
  10. sharp — exactly
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. dip — to dunk
  13. sharp — clever
  14. roll — a cake
  15. band — a ring
  16. hide — animal skin
  17. arm — a part of something
  18. arm — part of the body
  19. wound — an injury
  20. wound — an injury
  21. roll — on a roll
  22. sharp — with an edge
  23. hide — to keep secret
  24. band — a music group

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