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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.

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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. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  3. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  4. It's one o'clock ________________.
  5. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  6. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  7. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  8. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  9. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  10. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  11. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  12. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  13. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  14. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  15. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  16. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  17. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  18. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  19. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  20. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  21. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  22. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  23. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  24. Check the label for the sugar ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — to dunk
  2. lie — an untruth
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. sharp — exactly
  5. chair — a leader
  6. march — the month
  7. chair — a professorship
  8. sharp — with an edge
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. dip — a sauce
  11. prune — to trim
  12. dip — to sink
  13. lie — to recline
  14. content — videos and posts
  15. march — the month
  16. stick — to attach or keep to
  17. prune — the fruit
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. chair — to sit on
  20. prune — to trim
  21. content — happy
  22. march — music
  23. sharp — clever
  24. content — the amount

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