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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. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  3. David sat on the ________________.
  4. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  5. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  6. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  7. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  8. The King held a masked ________________.
  9. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  10. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  11. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  12. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  13. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  14. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  15. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  16. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  17. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  18. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  19. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  20. That was a fun ________________.
  21. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  22. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  23. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  24. I have a corn on my right ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — to sink
  2. bark — to shout
  3. swing — to play on
  4. bark — a dog's sound
  5. foot — the bottom
  6. swing — music
  7. dip — to dunk
  8. ball — a dance
  9. prune — to trim
  10. prune — to trim
  11. bark — of a tree
  12. dip — a sauce
  13. ball — a round shape
  14. prune — the fruit
  15. row — a line
  16. game — wild animals
  17. game — a kind of play
  18. row — to paddle
  19. foot — a measure
  20. game — a match
  21. swing — in golf
  22. ball — a great time
  23. row — a quarrel
  24. foot — part of the body

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