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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. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  2. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  3. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  4. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  5. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  6. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  7. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  8. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  9. It's one o'clock ________________.
  10. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  11. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  12. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  13. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  14. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  15. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  16. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  17. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  18. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  19. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  20. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  21. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  22. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  23. The King held a masked ________________.
  24. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — to dunk
  2. perch — the fish
  3. dip — a sauce
  4. hand — part of the body
  5. present — the time now
  6. object — a thing
  7. hand — in cards
  8. sharp — clever
  9. sharp — exactly
  10. present — there
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. present — a gift
  13. tear — to rip
  14. object — to protest
  15. tear — from crying
  16. ball — a great time
  17. sharp — with an edge
  18. tear — from crying
  19. dip — to sink
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. ball — a round shape
  22. hand — help
  23. ball — a dance
  24. object — an aim

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