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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 120 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. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  3. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  4. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  5. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  6. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  7. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  8. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  9. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  10. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  11. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  12. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  13. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  14. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  15. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  16. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  17. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  18. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  19. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  20. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  21. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  22. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  23. There's no middle ________________.
  24. The elephant has a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — a sauce
  2. trunk — of a tree
  3. wave — of the sea
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. content — happy
  6. dip — to sink
  7. trunk — of a car
  8. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  9. content — the amount
  10. fan — to cool the air
  11. wave — a sudden rise
  12. dip — to dunk
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. bowl — a football final
  15. content — videos and posts
  16. bowl — a dish
  17. ground — the earth
  18. ground — crushed
  19. wave — with your hand
  20. kid — child
  21. kid — to tease
  22. bowl — to roll
  23. ground — a position
  24. trunk — of an elephant

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