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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. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  2. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  3. It's one o'clock ________________.
  4. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  5. Have you settled on a ________________?
  6. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  7. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  8. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  9. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  10. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  11. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  12. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  13. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  14. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  15. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  16. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  17. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  18. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  19. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  20. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  21. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  22. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  23. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  24. My mare is ________________ in color.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — a box
  2. spring — a coil
  3. sharp — exactly
  4. dip — a sauce
  5. date — on the calendar
  6. trunk — of an elephant
  7. dip — to dunk
  8. sharp — clever
  9. bay — a part of the sea
  10. trunk — of a car
  11. rest — what's left
  12. spring — of water
  13. dip — to sink
  14. date — the fruit
  15. chest — of your body
  16. spring — the season
  17. rest — a break
  18. chest — of your body
  19. date — on the calendar
  20. rest — what's left
  21. sharp — with an edge
  22. bay — to keep at bay
  23. trunk — of a tree
  24. bay — a horse colour

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