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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.

Make a worksheet

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. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  3. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  4. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  5. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  6. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  7. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  8. Have you settled on a ________________?
  9. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  10. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  11. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  12. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  13. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  14. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  15. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  16. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  17. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  18. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  19. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  20. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  21. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  22. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  23. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  24. The spa offers ________________ extensions.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — to dunk
  2. lean — thin
  3. cap — a hat
  4. dip — to sink
  5. wind — moving air
  6. cap — a lid
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. date — on the calendar
  9. lash — to lash out
  10. wind — moving air
  11. ruler — for measuring
  12. perch — the fish
  13. lean — to bend
  14. date — on the calendar
  15. cap — of ice
  16. ruler — a monarch
  17. date — the fruit
  18. lean — to rest against
  19. ruler — for measuring
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. dip — a sauce
  22. wind — to turn a key
  23. lash — a whip stroke
  24. lash — an eyelash

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