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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. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  2. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  3. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  4. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  5. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  6. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  7. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  8. Have you settled on a ________________?
  9. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  10. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  11. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  12. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  13. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  14. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  15. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  16. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  17. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  18. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  19. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  20. How do you ________________ your surname?
  21. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  22. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  23. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  24. She had a strange look on her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — to sink
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. spell — magic
  4. fan — to cool the air
  5. mouse — for a computer
  6. chair — a professorship
  7. date — the fruit
  8. date — on the calendar
  9. date — on the calendar
  10. face — to confront
  11. chair — a leader
  12. spell — a short time
  13. mouse — the animal
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. mouse — the animal
  16. face — to point toward
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. stick — to attach or keep to
  19. dip — to dunk
  20. spell — letters
  21. dip — a sauce
  22. chair — to sit on
  23. stick — a piece of wood
  24. face — part of the head

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