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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. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  2. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  3. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  4. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  5. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  6. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  7. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  8. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  9. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  10. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  11. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  12. The King held a masked ________________.
  13. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  14. He was locked up in a ________________.
  15. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  16. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  17. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  18. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  19. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  20. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  21. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  22. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  23. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  24. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — to sink
  2. lie — an untruth
  3. hand — help
  4. ball — a great time
  5. cell — a phone
  6. racket — a loud noise
  7. band — a ring
  8. ball — a round shape
  9. band — a music group
  10. face — to point toward
  11. face — to confront
  12. ball — a dance
  13. dip — a sauce
  14. cell — in a prison
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. hand — part of the body
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. band — a rubber band
  19. racket — for tennis
  20. lie — to recline
  21. hand — in cards
  22. face — part of the head
  23. cell — in biology
  24. dip — to dunk

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