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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 was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  3. He was locked up in a ________________.
  4. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  5. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  6. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  7. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  8. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  9. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  10. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  11. The King held a masked ________________.
  12. The ________________ market has crashed.
  13. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  14. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  15. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  16. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  17. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  18. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  19. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  20. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  21. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  22. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  23. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  24. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — to dunk
  2. ball — a great time
  3. cell — in a prison
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. ball — a round shape
  6. stock — a soup base
  7. cell — a phone
  8. dip — to sink
  9. club — for dancing
  10. prune — to trim
  11. ball — a dance
  12. stock — shares
  13. dip — a sauce
  14. prune — the fruit
  15. prune — to trim
  16. root — of a plant
  17. club — a group
  18. root — the cause
  19. stock — goods
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. root — of a word
  22. lie — to recline
  23. cell — in biology
  24. club — for golf

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