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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. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  3. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  4. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  5. He is an ace ________________.
  6. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  7. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  8. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  9. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  10. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  11. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  12. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  13. The tickets are free of ________________.
  14. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  15. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  16. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  17. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  18. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  19. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  20. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  21. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  22. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  23. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  24. He keeps ________________ of his days.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — to dunk
  2. charge — electricity
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. row — a quarrel
  5. pitcher — in baseball
  6. bear — to put up with
  7. lie — to recline
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. dip — to sink
  10. rest — what's left
  11. row — to paddle
  12. rest — a break
  13. charge — a price
  14. dip — a sauce
  15. row — a line
  16. track — a path
  17. bear — the animal
  18. charge — in control
  19. track — a song
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. rest — what's left
  23. bear — the animal
  24. track — to keep track

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