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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. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  3. I'll be taking the ________________.
  4. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  5. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  6. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  7. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  8. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  9. He is an ace ________________.
  10. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  11. That was a fun ________________.
  12. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  13. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  14. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  15. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  16. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  17. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  18. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  19. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  20. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  21. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  22. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  23. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  24. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — to dunk
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. tube — the underground
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. wax — in the ear
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. game — a kind of play
  8. wax — for sculpting
  9. pitcher — in baseball
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. game — a match
  12. dip — to sink
  13. game — wild animals
  14. snap — to snap out of it
  15. stick — to attach or keep to
  16. wax — to grow
  17. dip — a sauce
  18. snap — to speak sharply
  19. tube — in a tire
  20. pass — to spend time
  21. pass — to succeed
  22. pass — a permit
  23. snap — to click
  24. tube — a container

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