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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. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  2. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  3. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  4. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  5. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  6. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  7. David sat on the ________________.
  8. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  9. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  10. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  11. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  12. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  13. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  14. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  15. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  16. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  17. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  18. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  19. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  20. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  21. That was a fun ________________.
  22. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  23. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  24. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — to dunk
  2. rest — a break
  3. rest — what's left
  4. game — wild animals
  5. march — music
  6. game — a kind of play
  7. swing — to play on
  8. mouse — for a computer
  9. deal — a big deal
  10. cap — of ice
  11. cap — a hat
  12. deal — to handle
  13. march — the month
  14. dip — a sauce
  15. march — the month
  16. swing — music
  17. cap — a lid
  18. deal — an agreement
  19. rest — what's left
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. game — a match
  22. mouse — the animal
  23. dip — to sink
  24. swing — in golf

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