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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 muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  2. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  3. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  4. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  5. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  6. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  7. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  8. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  9. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  10. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  11. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  12. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  13. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  14. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  15. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  16. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  17. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  18. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  19. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  20. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  21. When was this ________________ built?
  22. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  23. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  24. The water is too ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a path
  2. foot — the bottom
  3. dip — to dunk
  4. bear — the animal
  5. wind — moving air
  6. wind — moving air
  7. foot — a measure
  8. track — a song
  9. temple — side of the head
  10. foot — part of the body
  11. track — to keep track
  12. cold — the Cold War
  13. bear — to put up with
  14. hand — help
  15. cold — an illness
  16. wind — to turn a key
  17. bear — the animal
  18. dip — to sink
  19. hand — in cards
  20. dip — a sauce
  21. temple — a place of worship
  22. temple — a place of worship
  23. hand — part of the body
  24. cold — not warm

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