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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. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  2. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  3. False peace will not ________________.
  4. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  5. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  6. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  7. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  8. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  9. The ________________ took off on time.
  10. You don't need to ________________ round.
  11. There's no middle ________________.
  12. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  13. We're almost out of ________________.
  14. We're on a ________________ here.
  15. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  16. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  17. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  18. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  19. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  20. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  21. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  22. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  23. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  24. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — to sink
  2. wake — to stop sleeping
  3. last — to go on
  4. plane — a tool
  5. net — in sport
  6. net — for catching
  7. ground — crushed
  8. net — after costs
  9. plane — an aircraft
  10. pop — to visit
  11. ground — a position
  12. dip — a sauce
  13. pop — soda
  14. roll — on a roll
  15. ground — the earth
  16. dip — to dunk
  17. plane — in geometry
  18. last — final
  19. wake — before a funeral
  20. roll — a cake
  21. last — finally
  22. roll — a list
  23. wake — a trail
  24. pop — music

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