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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. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  2. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  3. When was this ________________ built?
  4. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  5. How do you ________________ your surname?
  6. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  7. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  8. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  9. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  10. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  11. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  12. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  13. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  14. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  15. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  16. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  17. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  18. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  19. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  20. David sat on the ________________.
  21. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  22. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  23. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  24. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — to dunk
  2. trunk — of a car
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. bass — the instrument
  5. spell — letters
  6. bass — the fish
  7. trunk — of a tree
  8. temple — a place of worship
  9. track — a path
  10. kick — a thrill
  11. trunk — of an elephant
  12. kick — in football
  13. spell — a short time
  14. track — to keep track
  15. bass — low music
  16. swing — in golf
  17. temple — side of the head
  18. swing — music
  19. dip — a sauce
  20. swing — to play on
  21. kick — with a leg
  22. dip — to sink
  23. track — a song
  24. spell — magic

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