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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. The light ________________ burned out.
  3. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  4. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  5. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  6. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  7. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  8. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  9. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  10. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  11. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  12. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  13. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  14. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  15. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  16. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  17. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  18. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  19. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  20. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  21. I've got to change the light ________________.
  22. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  23. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  24. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — a sauce
  2. bulb — for light
  3. kid — child
  4. dip — to dunk
  5. stick — to attach or keep to
  6. face — part of the head
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. lie — to recline
  9. chest — of your body
  10. wake — a trail
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  13. face — to confront
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. face — to point toward
  16. dip — to sink
  17. chest — of your body
  18. chest — a box
  19. wake — to stop sleeping
  20. bulb — of a plant
  21. bulb — for light
  22. kid — to tease
  23. wake — before a funeral
  24. lie — an untruth

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