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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. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  2. Don't do anything ________________.
  3. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  4. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  5. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  6. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  7. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  8. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  9. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  10. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  11. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  12. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  13. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  14. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  15. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  16. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  17. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  18. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  19. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  20. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  21. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  22. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  23. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  24. Have you found your soul ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. dip — to sink
  2. rash — hasty
  3. mate — a friend
  4. bat — in an idiom
  5. wave — with your hand
  6. ruler — for measuring
  7. rash — a series
  8. ruler — a monarch
  9. dip — a sauce
  10. bat — the animal
  11. rash — on the skin
  12. dip — to dunk
  13. foot — part of the body
  14. branch — of a tree
  15. ruler — for measuring
  16. mate — to breed
  17. wave — a sudden rise
  18. branch — of a bank
  19. branch — a division
  20. foot — a measure
  21. foot — the bottom
  22. wave — of the sea
  23. bat — for baseball
  24. mate — a partner

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