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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. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  3. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  4. It's one o'clock ________________.
  5. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  6. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  7. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  8. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  9. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  10. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  11. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  12. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  13. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  14. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  15. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  16. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  17. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  18. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  19. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  20. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  21. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  22. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  23. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  24. I can't ________________ this cold.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — to dunk
  2. prune — to trim
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. sharp — exactly
  5. fine — all right
  6. dip — a sauce
  7. stand — on your feet
  8. dip — to sink
  9. sharp — clever
  10. perch — the fish
  11. kid — to tease
  12. kid — child
  13. prune — to trim
  14. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  15. fine — high quality
  16. prune — the fruit
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. face — to point toward
  19. sharp — with an edge
  20. stand — for spectators
  21. face — to confront
  22. fine — a penalty
  23. face — part of the head
  24. stand — to bear

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