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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. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  3. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  4. My mare is ________________ in color.
  5. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  6. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  7. That was ________________ to happen.
  8. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  9. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  10. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  11. It's one o'clock ________________.
  12. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  13. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  14. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  15. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  16. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  17. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  18. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  19. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  20. Don't do anything ________________.
  21. Have you met the new head ________________?
  22. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  23. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  24. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — to dunk
  2. bound — tied together
  3. bay — to keep at bay
  4. bay — a horse colour
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. sharp — clever
  7. bound — certain
  8. sharp — with an edge
  9. dip — a sauce
  10. bay — a part of the sea
  11. sharp — exactly
  12. net — in sport
  13. march — the month
  14. net — for catching
  15. march — the month
  16. coach — pulled by horses
  17. net — after costs
  18. bound — obliged
  19. march — music
  20. rash — hasty
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. rash — on the skin
  23. rash — a series
  24. dip — to sink

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