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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. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  2. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  3. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  4. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  5. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  6. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  7. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  8. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  9. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  10. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  11. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  12. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  13. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  14. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  15. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  16. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  17. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  18. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  19. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  20. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  21. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  22. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  23. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  24. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — to dunk
  2. squash — the vegetable
  3. field — for sport
  4. dip — to sink
  5. squash — to crush
  6. lash — a whip stroke
  7. squash — the sport
  8. dip — a sauce
  9. field — a subject
  10. shower — rain
  11. lean — thin
  12. pitch — a sports field
  13. lash — an eyelash
  14. content — videos and posts
  15. content — the amount
  16. lash — to lash out
  17. pitch — completely
  18. shower — a meteor shower
  19. content — happy
  20. lean — to bend
  21. pitch — a sales talk
  22. shower — to wash
  23. lean — to rest against
  24. field — farmland

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