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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 very handy with a ________________.
  3. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  4. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  5. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  6. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  7. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  8. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  9. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  10. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  11. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  12. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  13. Have you found your soul ________________?
  14. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  15. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  16. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  17. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  18. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  19. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  20. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  21. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  22. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  23. He works in a ________________ mill.
  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. saw — the tool
  3. march — the month
  4. march — music
  5. cap — a hat
  6. cap — of ice
  7. mate — a friend
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. hand — help
  10. mate — to breed
  11. saw — past of 'see'
  12. rock — music
  13. mate — a partner
  14. hand — part of the body
  15. rock — to move gently
  16. cap — a lid
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. rock — a stone
  19. hand — in cards
  20. march — the month
  21. dip — a sauce
  22. lie — to recline
  23. saw — the tool
  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