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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. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  2. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  3. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  4. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  5. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  6. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  7. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  8. The King held a masked ________________.
  9. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  10. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  11. False peace will not ________________.
  12. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  13. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  14. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  15. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  16. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  17. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  18. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  19. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  20. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  21. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  22. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  23. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  24. Boris sat near the fire ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. last — final
  2. dip — a sauce
  3. fan — to cool the air
  4. club — for dancing
  5. pit — in a race
  6. club — for golf
  7. chair — to sit on
  8. ball — a dance
  9. ball — a great time
  10. squash — the sport
  11. last — to go on
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. chair — a professorship
  14. dip — to sink
  15. ball — a round shape
  16. club — a group
  17. last — finally
  18. dip — to dunk
  19. pit — a fruit stone
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. squash — to crush
  22. chair — a leader
  23. squash — the vegetable
  24. pit — a hole

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