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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. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  3. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  4. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  5. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  6. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  7. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  8. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  9. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  10. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  11. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  12. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  13. We're on a ________________ here.
  14. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  15. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  16. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  17. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  18. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  19. There's no middle ________________.
  20. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  21. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  22. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  23. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  24. A ________________ is just a dried plum.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — a sauce
  2. rest — what's left
  3. mine — for digging
  4. mark — to pay attention
  5. mine — an explosive
  6. roll — a list
  7. prune — to trim
  8. prune — to trim
  9. dip — to dunk
  10. mark — a grade
  11. mine — belonging to me
  12. ground — the earth
  13. roll — on a roll
  14. mark — a trace
  15. fan — to cool the air
  16. roll — a cake
  17. rest — what's left
  18. dip — to sink
  19. ground — a position
  20. rest — a break
  21. ground — crushed
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. prune — the fruit

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