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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. The King held a masked ________________.
  3. We're on a ________________ here.
  4. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  5. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  6. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  7. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  8. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  9. He works in a ________________ mill.
  10. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  11. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  12. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  13. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  14. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  15. He is an ace ________________.
  16. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  17. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  18. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  19. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  20. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  21. She's very handy with a ________________.
  22. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  23. My mare is ________________ in color.
  24. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — to dunk
  2. ball — a dance
  3. roll — on a roll
  4. fine — high quality
  5. fine — a penalty
  6. saw — past of 'see'
  7. ball — a great time
  8. bay — to keep at bay
  9. saw — the tool
  10. fine — all right
  11. ball — a round shape
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. dip — a sauce
  14. roll — a cake
  15. pitcher — in baseball
  16. straw — to clutch at straws
  17. bay — a part of the sea
  18. roll — a list
  19. straw — dry grass
  20. straw — a straw man
  21. saw — the tool
  22. dip — to sink
  23. bay — a horse colour
  24. pitcher — a jug

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