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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. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  2. False peace will not ________________.
  3. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  4. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  5. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  6. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  7. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  8. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  9. He works in a ________________ mill.
  10. She's very handy with a ________________.
  11. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  12. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  13. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  14. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  15. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  16. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  17. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  18. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  19. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  20. You don't need to ________________ round.
  21. We're almost out of ________________.
  22. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  23. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  24. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — a sauce
  2. last — to go on
  3. saw — past of 'see'
  4. dip — to dunk
  5. board — to get on
  6. club — a group
  7. pop — music
  8. last — final
  9. saw — the tool
  10. saw — the tool
  11. board — a committee
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. racket — a loud noise
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. wound — past of 'wind'
  16. last — finally
  17. wound — an injury
  18. board — a flat piece
  19. club — for dancing
  20. pop — to visit
  21. pop — soda
  22. club — for golf
  23. wound — an injury
  24. dip — to sink

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