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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. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  2. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  3. You don't need to ________________ round.
  4. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  5. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  6. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  7. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  8. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  9. We're almost out of ________________.
  10. How do you ________________ your surname?
  11. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  12. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  13. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  14. Have you settled on a ________________?
  15. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  16. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  17. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  18. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  19. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  20. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  21. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  22. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  23. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  24. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — to dunk
  2. pop — music
  3. pop — to visit
  4. wave — a sudden rise
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. dip — a sauce
  7. spell — magic
  8. wave — of the sea
  9. pop — soda
  10. spell — letters
  11. field — a subject
  12. field — farmland
  13. field — for sport
  14. date — on the calendar
  15. dip — to sink
  16. wave — with your hand
  17. chest — a box
  18. date — on the calendar
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. date — the fruit
  21. spell — a short time
  22. chest — of your body
  23. hide — animal skin
  24. chest — of your body

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