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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. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  3. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  4. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  5. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  6. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  7. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  8. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  9. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  10. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  11. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  12. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  13. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  14. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  15. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  16. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  17. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  18. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  19. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  20. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  21. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  22. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  23. That was ________________ to happen.
  24. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — to sink
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. content — happy
  4. wound — an injury
  5. bound — tied together
  6. pit — in a race
  7. kid — to tease
  8. content — videos and posts
  9. wound — an injury
  10. kid — child
  11. wound — past of 'wind'
  12. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  13. pit — a hole
  14. dip — to dunk
  15. staff — employees
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. bound — obliged
  18. staff — a stick
  19. content — the amount
  20. dip — a sauce
  21. pit — a fruit stone
  22. staff — employees
  23. bound — certain
  24. hide — animal skin

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