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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 lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  2. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  3. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  4. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  5. We're on a ________________ here.
  6. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  7. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  8. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  9. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  10. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  11. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  12. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  13. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  14. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  15. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  16. He is an ace ________________.
  17. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  18. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — a box
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. mark — a grade
  4. dip — to sink
  5. roll — on a roll
  6. roll — a list
  7. net — for catching
  8. mark — a trace
  9. chest — of your body
  10. dip — a sauce
  11. roll — a cake
  12. net — in sport
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. mark — to pay attention
  15. net — after costs
  16. pitcher — in baseball
  17. chest — of your body
  18. dip — to dunk

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