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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 ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  3. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  4. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  5. She's very handy with a ________________.
  6. We're on a ________________ here.
  7. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  8. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  9. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  10. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  11. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  12. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  13. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  14. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  15. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  16. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  17. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  18. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  19. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  20. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  21. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  22. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  23. He works in a ________________ mill.
  24. Can you turn the ________________ on?

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

Answer key

  1. dip — to dunk
  2. dip — a sauce
  3. band — a music group
  4. chest — of your body
  5. saw — the tool
  6. roll — on a roll
  7. chest — of your body
  8. band — a rubber band
  9. current — electric
  10. current — of water
  11. band — a ring
  12. roll — a list
  13. roll — a cake
  14. squash — the sport
  15. squash — the vegetable
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. squash — to crush
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. chest — a box
  20. saw — past of 'see'
  21. dip — to sink
  22. current — happening now
  23. saw — the tool
  24. fan — to cool the air

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