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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. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  2. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  3. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  4. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  5. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  6. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  7. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  8. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  9. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  10. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  11. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  12. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  13. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  14. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  15. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  16. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  17. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  18. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  19. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  20. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  21. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  22. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  23. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  24. Did you ________________ the button?

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

Answer key

  1. dip — a sauce
  2. mine — an explosive
  3. mine — for digging
  4. dip — to sink
  5. dip — to dunk
  6. bear — the animal
  7. lean — to rest against
  8. lean — to bend
  9. drill — army training
  10. lean — thin
  11. mine — belonging to me
  12. press — newspapers
  13. bat — the animal
  14. bear — to put up with
  15. bowl — a dish
  16. bat — for baseball
  17. bowl — a football final
  18. drill — the tool
  19. press — a publisher
  20. bat — in an idiom
  21. drill — a practice
  22. bear — the animal
  23. bowl — to roll
  24. press — to push

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