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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 120 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. We're almost out of ________________.
  2. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  3. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  4. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  5. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  6. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  7. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  8. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  9. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  10. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  11. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  12. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  13. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  14. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  15. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  16. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  17. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  18. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  19. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  20. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  21. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  22. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  23. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  24. You don't need to ________________ round.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — soda
  2. content — the amount
  3. club — for golf
  4. dip — to dunk
  5. club — a group
  6. cap — a lid
  7. branch — of a tree
  8. craft — a handicraft
  9. club — for dancing
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. dip — a sauce
  12. content — videos and posts
  13. branch — of a bank
  14. cap — a hat
  15. craft — boats
  16. cap — of ice
  17. pop — music
  18. content — happy
  19. lie — to recline
  20. branch — a division
  21. craft — a skill
  22. dip — to sink
  23. lie — an untruth
  24. pop — to visit

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