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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 116 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. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  3. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  4. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  5. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  6. When will it ________________ you to start?
  7. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  8. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  9. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  10. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  11. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  12. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  13. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  14. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  15. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  16. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  17. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  18. This piece is in a major ________________.
  19. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  20. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  21. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  22. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  23. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  24. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — to dunk
  2. dip — a sauce
  3. suit — in cards
  4. prune — to trim
  5. bat — in an idiom
  6. suit — to fit
  7. club — for golf
  8. bark — to shout
  9. face — part of the head
  10. prune — the fruit
  11. club — a group
  12. bat — the animal
  13. bark — of a tree
  14. face — to point toward
  15. face — to confront
  16. dip — to sink
  17. bat — for baseball
  18. key — in music
  19. key — the most important part
  20. prune — to trim
  21. key — for a lock
  22. suit — clothes
  23. bark — a dog's sound
  24. club — for dancing

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