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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. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  2. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  3. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  4. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  5. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  6. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  7. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  8. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  9. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  10. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  11. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  12. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  13. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  14. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  15. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  16. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  17. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  18. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  19. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  20. The ________________ took off on time.
  21. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  22. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  23. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  24. The water is too ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — a strongbox
  2. mouse — the animal
  3. dip — to dunk
  4. plane — in geometry
  5. hand — part of the body
  6. bark — to shout
  7. dip — to sink
  8. plane — a tool
  9. mouse — for a computer
  10. cold — the Cold War
  11. cold — an illness
  12. squash — to crush
  13. squash — the sport
  14. mouse — the animal
  15. squash — the vegetable
  16. hand — help
  17. safe — out of danger
  18. bark — a dog's sound
  19. bark — of a tree
  20. plane — an aircraft
  21. hand — in cards
  22. safe — out of danger
  23. dip — a sauce
  24. cold — not warm

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