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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. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  2. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  3. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  4. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  5. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  6. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  7. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  8. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  9. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  10. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  11. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  12. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  13. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  14. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  15. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  16. Where did you ________________ them?
  17. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  18. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  19. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  20. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  21. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  22. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  23. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  24. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a song
  2. mug — a face
  3. content — videos and posts
  4. track — to keep track
  5. wave — of the sea
  6. bat — in an idiom
  7. bat — the animal
  8. net — after costs
  9. wave — with your hand
  10. dip — a sauce
  11. squash — the vegetable
  12. dip — to sink
  13. track — a path
  14. dip — to dunk
  15. content — happy
  16. mug — to rob
  17. mug — a cup
  18. net — in sport
  19. squash — to crush
  20. net — for catching
  21. squash — the sport
  22. wave — a sudden rise
  23. content — the amount
  24. bat — for baseball

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