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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. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  2. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  3. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  4. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  5. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  6. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  7. Have you met the new head ________________?
  8. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  9. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  10. She's very handy with a ________________.
  11. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  12. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  13. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  14. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  15. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  16. When are we going to ________________?
  17. There's no middle ________________.
  18. He works in a ________________ mill.
  19. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  20. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  21. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  22. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  23. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  24. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — to sink
  2. spring — a coil
  3. ground — the earth
  4. dip — a sauce
  5. wake — before a funeral
  6. jam — a tight spot
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. jam — to spread on bread
  10. saw — the tool
  11. land — a country
  12. spring — the season
  13. saw — past of 'see'
  14. ground — crushed
  15. wake — to stop sleeping
  16. land — to come down
  17. ground — a position
  18. saw — the tool
  19. dip — to dunk
  20. wake — a trail
  21. jam — in traffic
  22. coach — pulled by horses
  23. spring — of water
  24. land — ground

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