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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 like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  2. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  3. I'll be taking the ________________.
  4. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  5. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  6. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  7. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  8. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  9. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  10. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  11. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  12. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  13. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  14. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  15. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  16. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  17. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  18. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  19. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  20. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  21. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  22. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  23. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  24. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — to dunk
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. tube — the underground
  4. dip — a sauce
  5. bowl — a dish
  6. cue — a signal
  7. cue — a hint
  8. mine — belonging to me
  9. tube — a container
  10. bass — the instrument
  11. cue — for pool
  12. bowl — a football final
  13. stick — to attach or keep to
  14. mine — for digging
  15. bowl — to roll
  16. tear — from crying
  17. tear — from crying
  18. tear — to rip
  19. dip — to sink
  20. tube — in a tire
  21. mine — an explosive
  22. bass — the fish
  23. stick — a piece of wood
  24. bass — low music

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