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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. My mare is ________________ in color.
  3. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  4. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  5. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  6. When was this ________________ built?
  7. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  8. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  9. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  10. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  11. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  12. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  13. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  14. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  15. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  16. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  17. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  18. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  19. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  20. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  21. The King held a masked ________________.
  22. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  23. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  24. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — to dunk
  2. bay — a horse colour
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. clip — for paper
  5. ball — a round shape
  6. temple — a place of worship
  7. bay — a part of the sea
  8. root — of a plant
  9. content — videos and posts
  10. clip — to cut
  11. content — the amount
  12. bay — to keep at bay
  13. root — of a word
  14. dip — to sink
  15. wave — with your hand
  16. wave — of the sea
  17. clip — a video
  18. root — the cause
  19. dip — a sauce
  20. ball — a great time
  21. ball — a dance
  22. content — happy
  23. temple — side of the head
  24. wave — a sudden rise

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