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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. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  2. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  3. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  4. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  5. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  6. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  7. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  8. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  9. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  10. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  11. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  12. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  13. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  14. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  15. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  16. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  17. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  18. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  19. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  20. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  21. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  22. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  23. That was a fun ________________.
  24. That must've been a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a hole
  2. dip — to dunk
  3. pit — a fruit stone
  4. dip — a sauce
  5. game — a kind of play
  6. bass — low music
  7. bass — the fish
  8. rush — to hurry
  9. hand — part of the body
  10. object — to protest
  11. scale — size or range
  12. object — a thing
  13. bass — the instrument
  14. dip — to sink
  15. object — an aim
  16. game — wild animals
  17. scale — in music
  18. pit — in a race
  19. rush — hurry
  20. scale — for weighing
  21. hand — help
  22. hand — in cards
  23. game — a match
  24. rush — a thrill

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