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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. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  2. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  3. We're almost out of ________________.
  4. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  5. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  6. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  7. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  8. You don't need to ________________ round.
  9. Have you met the new head ________________?
  10. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  11. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  12. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  13. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  14. Have you found your soul ________________?
  15. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  16. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  17. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  18. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  19. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  20. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  21. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  22. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  23. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  24. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — a sauce
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. pop — soda
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. coach — pulled by horses
  6. bowl — to roll
  7. mate — to breed
  8. pop — to visit
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. bowl — a football final
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. deal — an agreement
  13. dip — to sink
  14. mate — a partner
  15. pop — music
  16. mate — a friend
  17. deal — a big deal
  18. lie — to recline
  19. bowl — a dish
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. deal — to handle
  22. dip — to dunk
  23. stick — a piece of wood
  24. stick — to attach or keep to

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