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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 116 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. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  3. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  4. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  5. This piece is in a major ________________.
  6. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  7. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  8. It's one o'clock ________________.
  9. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  10. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  11. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  12. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  13. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  14. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  15. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  16. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  17. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  18. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  19. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  20. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  21. False peace will not ________________.
  22. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  23. How do you ________________ your surname?
  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. dip — to sink
  2. dip — to dunk
  3. bat — in an idiom
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. key — in music
  6. last — final
  7. spell — magic
  8. sharp — exactly
  9. spell — a short time
  10. sharp — with an edge
  11. key — the most important part
  12. key — for a lock
  13. bark — a dog's sound
  14. bark — to shout
  15. bat — the animal
  16. hide — animal skin
  17. bark — of a tree
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. last — finally
  20. sharp — clever
  21. last — to go on
  22. dip — a sauce
  23. spell — letters
  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