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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. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  3. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  4. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  5. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  6. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  7. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  8. That must've been a ________________.
  9. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  10. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  11. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  12. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  13. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  14. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  15. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  16. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  17. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  18. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  19. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  20. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  21. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  22. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  23. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  24. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — to dunk
  2. toast — the most admired
  3. bat — the animal
  4. rush — hurry
  5. dip — a sauce
  6. toast — a drink to someone
  7. bat — for baseball
  8. rush — a thrill
  9. content — videos and posts
  10. mouse — for a computer
  11. content — the amount
  12. bat — in an idiom
  13. mouse — the animal
  14. bass — the fish
  15. dip — to sink
  16. content — happy
  17. bass — low music
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. toast — bread
  21. lie — to recline
  22. rush — to hurry
  23. bass — the instrument
  24. mouse — the animal

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