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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 116 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. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  3. That was a fun ________________.
  4. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  5. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  6. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  7. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  8. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  9. Don't do anything ________________.
  10. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  11. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  12. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  13. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  14. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  15. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  16. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  17. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  18. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  19. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  20. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  21. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  22. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  23. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  24. He is as ________________ as a wolf.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — to dunk
  2. rash — on the skin
  3. game — a match
  4. mouse — the animal
  5. squash — the sport
  6. mouse — for a computer
  7. lean — to rest against
  8. rash — a series
  9. rash — hasty
  10. content — videos and posts
  11. mouse — the animal
  12. root — of a word
  13. squash — to crush
  14. dip — a sauce
  15. lean — to bend
  16. root — the cause
  17. squash — the vegetable
  18. content — happy
  19. root — of a plant
  20. content — the amount
  21. dip — to sink
  22. game — wild animals
  23. game — a kind of play
  24. lean — thin

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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