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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 124 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. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  3. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  4. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  5. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  6. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  7. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  8. That must've been a ________________.
  9. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  10. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  11. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  12. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  13. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  14. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  15. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  16. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  17. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  18. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  19. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  20. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  21. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  22. False peace will not ________________.
  23. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  24. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — to sink
  2. last — finally
  3. racket — a loud noise
  4. spring — a coil
  5. spring — the season
  6. dip — to dunk
  7. pound — for dogs
  8. rush — a thrill
  9. rush — to hurry
  10. pound — a weight
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. rush — hurry
  13. chest — a box
  14. spring — of water
  15. dip — a sauce
  16. perch — the fish
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. chest — of your body
  19. chest — of your body
  20. last — final
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. last — to go on
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. pound — to hit hard

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