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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. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  2. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  3. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  4. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  5. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  6. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  7. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  8. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  9. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  10. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  11. The water is too ________________.
  12. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  13. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  14. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  15. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  16. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  17. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  18. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  19. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  20. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  21. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  22. The ________________ took off on time.
  23. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  24. This piece is in a major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — to sink
  2. key — for a lock
  3. row — to paddle
  4. dip — to dunk
  5. plane — in geometry
  6. lash — an eyelash
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. cold — an illness
  9. wound — past of 'wind'
  10. lash — a whip stroke
  11. cold — not warm
  12. row — a line
  13. wound — an injury
  14. plane — a tool
  15. wound — an injury
  16. row — a quarrel
  17. key — the most important part
  18. dip — a sauce
  19. stick — to attach or keep to
  20. cold — the Cold War
  21. lash — to lash out
  22. plane — an aircraft
  23. stick — a piece of wood
  24. key — in music

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