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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. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  3. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  4. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  5. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  6. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  7. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  8. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  9. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  10. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  11. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  12. My mare is ________________ in color.
  13. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  14. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  15. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  16. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  17. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  18. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  19. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  20. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  21. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  22. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  23. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  24. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — to dunk
  2. content — happy
  3. drill — the tool
  4. bass — low music
  5. bass — the fish
  6. hand — in cards
  7. hand — part of the body
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. prune — the fruit
  10. hand — help
  11. content — the amount
  12. bay — a horse colour
  13. dip — to sink
  14. bay — to keep at bay
  15. content — videos and posts
  16. dip — a sauce
  17. drill — a practice
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. drill — army training
  20. prune — to trim
  21. prune — to trim
  22. bass — the instrument
  23. bay — a part of the sea
  24. racket — a loud noise

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