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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. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  2. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  3. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  4. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  5. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  6. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  7. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  8. You don't need to ________________ round.
  9. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  10. We're almost out of ________________.
  11. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  12. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  13. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  14. There's no middle ________________.
  15. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  16. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  17. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  18. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  19. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  20. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  21. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  22. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  23. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  24. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — in a road
  2. ground — the earth
  3. cap — of ice
  4. ground — crushed
  5. fork — to eat with
  6. bat — the animal
  7. wake — a trail
  8. pop — to visit
  9. dip — to dunk
  10. pop — soda
  11. bat — for baseball
  12. wake — to stop sleeping
  13. content — videos and posts
  14. ground — a position
  15. pop — music
  16. cap — a hat
  17. wake — before a funeral
  18. bat — in an idiom
  19. content — happy
  20. content — the amount
  21. dip — to sink
  22. cap — a lid
  23. dip — a sauce
  24. fork — a garden tool

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