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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. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  2. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  3. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  4. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  5. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  6. How do you ________________ your surname?
  7. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  8. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  9. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  10. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  11. The King held a masked ________________.
  12. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  13. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  14. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  15. It's one o'clock ________________.
  16. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  17. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  18. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  19. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  20. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  21. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  22. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  23. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  24. 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. foot — the bottom
  2. dip — a sauce
  3. ball — a great time
  4. ball — a round shape
  5. spell — magic
  6. spell — letters
  7. branch — a division
  8. track — to keep track
  9. sharp — with an edge
  10. sharp — clever
  11. ball — a dance
  12. track — a path
  13. foot — a measure
  14. trunk — of an elephant
  15. sharp — exactly
  16. trunk — of a car
  17. branch — of a bank
  18. branch — of a tree
  19. spell — a short time
  20. trunk — of a tree
  21. dip — to sink
  22. foot — part of the body
  23. track — a song
  24. 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