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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 ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  2. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  3. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  4. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  5. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  6. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  7. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  8. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  9. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  10. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  11. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  12. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  13. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  14. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  15. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  16. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  17. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  18. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  19. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  20. Have you met the new head ________________?
  21. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  22. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  23. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  24. A ________________ is just a dried plum.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — a sauce
  2. dip — to dunk
  3. wound — an injury
  4. content — videos and posts
  5. face — to point toward
  6. prune — to trim
  7. dip — to sink
  8. chip — in a computer
  9. row — a quarrel
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. row — a line
  12. face — part of the head
  13. row — to paddle
  14. chip — to eat
  15. chip — for betting
  16. prune — to trim
  17. wound — an injury
  18. coach — pulled by horses
  19. content — the amount
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. content — happy
  22. face — to confront
  23. wound — past of 'wind'
  24. prune — the fruit

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