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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 hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  2. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  3. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  4. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  5. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  6. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  7. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  8. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  9. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  10. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  11. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  12. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  13. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  14. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  15. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  16. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  17. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  18. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  19. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  20. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  21. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  22. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  23. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  24. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.

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

Answer key

  1. lie — to recline
  2. snap — to snap out of it
  3. dip — to sink
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. chest — of your body
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. dip — to dunk
  8. scale — for weighing
  9. chest — of your body
  10. scale — in music
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. foot — a measure
  13. bark — to shout
  14. bark — a dog's sound
  15. scale — size or range
  16. snap — to click
  17. foot — the bottom
  18. bark — of a tree
  19. fan — to cool the air
  20. dip — a sauce
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. foot — part of the body
  23. snap — to speak sharply
  24. chest — a box

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