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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. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  3. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  4. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  5. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  6. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  7. He is an ace ________________.
  8. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  9. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  10. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  11. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  12. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  13. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  14. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  15. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  16. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  17. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  18. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  19. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  20. It's one o'clock ________________.
  21. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  22. That was a fun ________________.
  23. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  24. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — to dunk
  2. dip — to sink
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. stem — a stem cell
  5. can — to be able to
  6. dip — a sauce
  7. pitcher — in baseball
  8. wave — a sudden rise
  9. can — a tin
  10. game — wild animals
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. sharp — with an edge
  14. stem — to come from
  15. sharp — clever
  16. hide — animal skin
  17. game — a kind of play
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. can — a tin
  20. sharp — exactly
  21. wave — with your hand
  22. game — a match
  23. stem — of a plant
  24. wave — of the sea

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