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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 ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  2. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  3. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  4. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  5. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  6. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  7. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  8. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  9. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  10. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  11. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  12. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  13. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  14. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  15. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  16. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  17. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  18. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  19. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  20. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  21. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  22. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  23. Have you settled on a ________________?
  24. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — a sauce
  2. dip — to dunk
  3. racket — a loud noise
  4. leaves — to go away
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. face — to point toward
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. bowl — to roll
  10. hand — in cards
  11. date — on the calendar
  12. bowl — a football final
  13. leaves — of a tree
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. face — to confront
  16. leaves — lets stay
  17. face — part of the head
  18. bowl — a dish
  19. hand — help
  20. hand — part of the body
  21. date — the fruit
  22. dip — to sink
  23. date — on the calendar
  24. patient — calm and waiting

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