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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. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  2. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  3. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  4. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  5. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  6. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  7. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  8. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  9. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  10. Don't do anything ________________.
  11. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  12. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  13. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  14. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  15. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  16. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  17. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  18. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  19. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  20. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  21. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  22. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  23. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  24. The ball hit the back of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — to sink
  2. lie — an untruth
  3. squash — the vegetable
  4. dip — to dunk
  5. shower — rain
  6. squash — to crush
  7. shower — to wash
  8. rash — on the skin
  9. field — a subject
  10. rash — hasty
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. field — for sport
  13. rash — a series
  14. net — for catching
  15. squash — the sport
  16. lie — to recline
  17. safe — out of danger
  18. shower — a meteor shower
  19. dip — a sauce
  20. field — farmland
  21. safe — out of danger
  22. net — after costs
  23. safe — a strongbox
  24. net — in sport

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