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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. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  3. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  4. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  5. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  6. The King held a masked ________________.
  7. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  8. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  9. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  10. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  11. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  12. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  13. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  14. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  15. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  16. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  17. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  18. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  19. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  20. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  21. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  22. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  23. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  24. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — to dunk
  2. field — a subject
  3. ball — a round shape
  4. wind — moving air
  5. safe — out of danger
  6. ball — a dance
  7. wind — moving air
  8. face — to confront
  9. content — the amount
  10. march — the month
  11. face — part of the head
  12. march — the month
  13. safe — a strongbox
  14. content — happy
  15. safe — out of danger
  16. march — music
  17. wind — to turn a key
  18. face — to point toward
  19. field — for sport
  20. ball — a great time
  21. field — farmland
  22. content — videos and posts
  23. dip — a sauce
  24. dip — to sink

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