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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. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  2. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  3. Have you settled on a ________________?
  4. How do you ________________ your surname?
  5. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  6. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  7. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  8. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  9. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  10. My mare is ________________ in color.
  11. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  12. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  13. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  14. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  15. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  16. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  17. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  18. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  19. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  20. The ball is in your ________________.
  21. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  22. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  23. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  24. The King held a masked ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — a sauce
  2. drill — army training
  3. date — on the calendar
  4. spell — letters
  5. spell — magic
  6. bay — to keep at bay
  7. drill — the tool
  8. court — of law
  9. date — on the calendar
  10. bay — a horse colour
  11. court — of a king
  12. date — the fruit
  13. ball — a round shape
  14. chip — in a computer
  15. ball — a great time
  16. drill — a practice
  17. chip — to eat
  18. dip — to sink
  19. spell — a short time
  20. court — for sport
  21. bay — a part of the sea
  22. dip — to dunk
  23. chip — for betting
  24. ball — a dance

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