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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. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  2. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  3. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  4. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  5. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  6. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  7. How do you ________________ your surname?
  8. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  9. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  10. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  11. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  12. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  13. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  14. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  15. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  16. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  17. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  18. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — to sink
  2. trunk — of an elephant
  3. snap — to click
  4. spell — a short time
  5. snap — to speak sharply
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. spell — letters
  8. spell — magic
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. dip — to dunk
  11. capital — a city
  12. trunk — of a tree
  13. dip — a sauce
  14. trunk — of a car
  15. snap — to snap out of it
  16. capital — money
  17. capital — a big letter
  18. hide — animal skin

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