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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. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  2. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  3. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  4. Did you ________________ the meat?
  5. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  6. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  7. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  8. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  9. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  10. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  11. How do you ________________ your surname?
  12. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  13. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  14. The ________________ went through the wall.
  15. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  16. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  17. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  18. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  19. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  20. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  21. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  22. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  23. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  24. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — a sauce
  2. dip — to dunk
  3. wound — an injury
  4. season — to add flavour
  5. spell — a short time
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. nail — on a finger
  8. rest — what's left
  9. wound — past of 'wind'
  10. rest — a break
  11. spell — letters
  12. scale — size or range
  13. dip — to sink
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. pass — to succeed
  16. wound — an injury
  17. season — of the year
  18. scale — in music
  19. pass — a permit
  20. season — in sport
  21. scale — for weighing
  22. pass — to spend time
  23. rest — what's left
  24. spell — magic

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