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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. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  2. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  3. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  4. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  5. Did you ________________ the meat?
  6. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  7. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  8. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  9. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  10. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  11. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  12. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  13. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  14. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  15. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  16. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  17. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  18. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  19. My mare is ________________ in color.
  20. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  21. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  22. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  23. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  24. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — a sauce
  2. field — for sport
  3. hand — part of the body
  4. mark — a trace
  5. season — to add flavour
  6. field — a subject
  7. prune — the fruit
  8. season — of the year
  9. bay — a part of the sea
  10. field — farmland
  11. mark — to pay attention
  12. prune — to trim
  13. hand — in cards
  14. mark — a grade
  15. prune — to trim
  16. dip — to sink
  17. rock — a stone
  18. hand — help
  19. bay — a horse colour
  20. season — in sport
  21. rock — music
  22. rock — to move gently
  23. bay — to keep at bay
  24. dip — to dunk

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