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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 120 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. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  2. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  3. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  4. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  5. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  6. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  7. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  8. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  9. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  10. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  11. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  12. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  13. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  14. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  15. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  16. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  17. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  18. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  19. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  20. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  21. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  22. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  23. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  24. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — in a race
  2. dip — to sink
  3. drill — a practice
  4. rock — music
  5. bat — the animal
  6. hand — part of the body
  7. pit — a hole
  8. rock — to move gently
  9. bat — for baseball
  10. dip — a sauce
  11. drill — the tool
  12. bat — in an idiom
  13. content — videos and posts
  14. wax — to grow
  15. drill — army training
  16. rock — a stone
  17. wax — in the ear
  18. content — happy
  19. dip — to dunk
  20. content — the amount
  21. hand — in cards
  22. hand — help
  23. pit — a fruit stone
  24. wax — for sculpting

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