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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. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  3. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  4. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  5. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  6. How do you ________________ your surname?
  7. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  8. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  9. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  10. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  11. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  12. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  13. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  14. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  15. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  16. The ________________ went through the wall.
  17. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  18. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  19. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  20. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  21. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  22. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  23. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  24. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — to dunk
  2. march — the month
  3. fine — high quality
  4. march — music
  5. nail — on a finger
  6. spell — letters
  7. wake — before a funeral
  8. dip — a sauce
  9. lean — to bend
  10. lean — thin
  11. rest — a break
  12. dip — to sink
  13. spell — magic
  14. wake — to stop sleeping
  15. rest — what's left
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. fine — a penalty
  18. lean — to rest against
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. rest — what's left
  21. wake — a trail
  22. fine — all right
  23. spell — a short time
  24. march — the month

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