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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. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  2. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  3. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  4. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  5. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  6. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  7. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  8. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  9. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  10. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  11. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  12. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  13. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  14. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  15. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  16. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  17. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  18. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  19. Where did you ________________ them?
  20. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  21. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  22. He was locked up in a ________________.
  23. My father caught me by the ________________.
  24. I assure you, everything's ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — to sink
  2. mine — belonging to me
  3. snap — to click
  4. mug — a face
  5. fine — high quality
  6. dip — a sauce
  7. mine — an explosive
  8. wound — an injury
  9. mine — for digging
  10. mug — a cup
  11. wound — past of 'wind'
  12. arm — part of the body
  13. wound — an injury
  14. cell — a phone
  15. snap — to snap out of it
  16. dip — to dunk
  17. fine — a penalty
  18. arm — a part of something
  19. mug — to rob
  20. cell — in biology
  21. snap — to speak sharply
  22. cell — in a prison
  23. arm — part of the body
  24. fine — all right

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