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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. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  2. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  3. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  4. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  5. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  6. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  7. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  8. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  9. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  10. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  11. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  12. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  13. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  14. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  15. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  16. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  17. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  18. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  19. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  20. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  21. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  22. When are we going to ________________?
  23. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  24. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — a sauce
  2. land — ground
  3. dip — to dunk
  4. content — the amount
  5. drill — army training
  6. band — a rubber band
  7. trunk — of an elephant
  8. land — a country
  9. cap — a hat
  10. band — a music group
  11. toast — bread
  12. toast — a drink to someone
  13. drill — the tool
  14. cap — a lid
  15. trunk — of a tree
  16. toast — the most admired
  17. cap — of ice
  18. band — a ring
  19. dip — to sink
  20. trunk — of a car
  21. content — videos and posts
  22. land — to come down
  23. drill — a practice
  24. content — happy

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