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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. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  3. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  4. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  5. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  6. The ball is in your ________________.
  7. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  8. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  9. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  10. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  11. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  12. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  13. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  14. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  15. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  16. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  17. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  18. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  19. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  20. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  21. The King held a masked ________________.
  22. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  23. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  24. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — to dunk
  2. ball — a round shape
  3. spring — of water
  4. ball — a great time
  5. pass — to spend time
  6. court — for sport
  7. spring — the season
  8. dip — a sauce
  9. dip — to sink
  10. staff — a stick
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. pass — to succeed
  13. row — a quarrel
  14. lie — to recline
  15. row — a line
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. spring — a coil
  18. court — of law
  19. staff — employees
  20. court — of a king
  21. ball — a dance
  22. staff — employees
  23. pass — a permit
  24. row — to paddle

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