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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. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  2. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  3. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  4. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  5. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  6. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  7. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  8. How do you ________________ your surname?
  9. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  10. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  11. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  12. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  13. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  14. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  15. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  16. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  17. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  18. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  19. That must've been a ________________.
  20. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  21. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  22. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  23. The King held a masked ________________.
  24. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — to sink
  2. board — a flat piece
  3. hand — help
  4. bat — in an idiom
  5. hand — part of the body
  6. bat — the animal
  7. rush — hurry
  8. spell — letters
  9. branch — of a tree
  10. ball — a round shape
  11. dip — to dunk
  12. rush — to hurry
  13. spell — magic
  14. bat — for baseball
  15. hand — in cards
  16. board — to get on
  17. ball — a great time
  18. branch — a division
  19. rush — a thrill
  20. dip — a sauce
  21. board — a committee
  22. branch — of a bank
  23. ball — a dance
  24. spell — a short time

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