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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 120 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. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  2. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  3. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  4. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  5. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  6. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  7. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  8. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  9. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  10. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  11. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  12. Don't do anything ________________.
  13. That was a fun ________________.
  14. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  15. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  16. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  17. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  18. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  19. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  20. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  21. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  22. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  23. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  24. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — to dunk
  2. rash — a series
  3. dip — to sink
  4. rash — on the skin
  5. perch — the fish
  6. lean — thin
  7. pound — a weight
  8. game — a kind of play
  9. game — wild animals
  10. track — a song
  11. dip — a sauce
  12. rash — hasty
  13. game — a match
  14. lean — to rest against
  15. track — a path
  16. pound — for dogs
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. pound — to hit hard
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. wound — an injury
  21. wound — an injury
  22. track — to keep track
  23. wound — past of 'wind'
  24. lean — to bend

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