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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. My mare is ________________ in color.
  2. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  3. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  4. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  5. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  6. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  7. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  8. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  9. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  10. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  11. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  12. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  13. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  14. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  15. I'll be taking the ________________.
  16. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  17. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  18. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  19. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  20. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  21. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  22. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  23. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  24. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bay — a horse colour
  2. dip — to dunk
  3. face — to point toward
  4. tube — in a tire
  5. face — to confront
  6. drill — army training
  7. hand — in cards
  8. hand — part of the body
  9. wake — to stop sleeping
  10. drill — the tool
  11. mark — to pay attention
  12. wake — before a funeral
  13. dip — to sink
  14. bay — a part of the sea
  15. tube — the underground
  16. mark — a trace
  17. face — part of the head
  18. wake — a trail
  19. drill — a practice
  20. mark — a grade
  21. dip — a sauce
  22. tube — a container
  23. hand — help
  24. bay — to keep at bay

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