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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. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  2. Have you found your soul ________________?
  3. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  4. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  5. There's no middle ________________.
  6. Have you settled on a ________________?
  7. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  8. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  9. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  10. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  11. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  12. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  13. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  14. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  15. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  16. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  17. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  18. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  19. I'll be taking the ________________.
  20. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  21. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  22. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  23. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  24. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — a sauce
  2. mate — a partner
  3. bass — the instrument
  4. tube — a container
  5. ground — a position
  6. date — on the calendar
  7. dip — to sink
  8. foot — the bottom
  9. mate — to breed
  10. dip — to dunk
  11. foot — part of the body
  12. bass — low music
  13. lie — to recline
  14. ground — crushed
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. ground — the earth
  17. bass — the fish
  18. mate — a friend
  19. tube — the underground
  20. date — the fruit
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. date — on the calendar
  23. foot — a measure
  24. tube — in a tire

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