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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. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  2. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  3. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  4. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  5. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  6. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  7. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  8. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  9. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  10. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  11. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  12. David sat on the ________________.
  13. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  14. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  15. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  16. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  17. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  18. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  19. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  20. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  21. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  22. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  23. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  24. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to snap out of it
  2. object — a thing
  3. toast — bread
  4. dip — to dunk
  5. track — a song
  6. track — to keep track
  7. snap — to click
  8. lie — to recline
  9. track — a path
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. branch — a division
  12. swing — to play on
  13. snap — to speak sharply
  14. swing — in golf
  15. branch — of a tree
  16. dip — a sauce
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. swing — music
  19. dip — to sink
  20. branch — of a bank
  21. toast — the most admired
  22. object — to protest
  23. toast — a drink to someone
  24. object — an aim

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