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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 120 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. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  3. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  4. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  5. There's no middle ________________.
  6. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  7. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  8. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  9. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  10. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  11. My father caught me by the ________________.
  12. False peace will not ________________.
  13. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  14. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  15. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  16. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  17. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  18. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  19. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  20. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  21. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  22. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  23. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  24. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — to dunk
  2. arm — part of the body
  3. kick — a thrill
  4. wave — of the sea
  5. ground — a position
  6. ground — crushed
  7. file — a line of people
  8. wave — with your hand
  9. last — finally
  10. ground — the earth
  11. arm — part of the body
  12. last — to go on
  13. dip — to sink
  14. dip — a sauce
  15. last — final
  16. kick — in football
  17. file — a tool
  18. kick — with a leg
  19. file — a document
  20. lie — to recline
  21. wave — a sudden rise
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. arm — a part of something
  24. lie — an untruth

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