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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 120 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. It's one o'clock ________________.
  3. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  4. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  5. He is an ace ________________.
  6. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  7. When was this ________________ built?
  8. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  9. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  10. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  11. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  12. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  13. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  14. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  15. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  16. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  17. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  18. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  19. There's no middle ________________.
  20. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  21. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  22. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  23. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  24. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — a sauce
  2. sharp — exactly
  3. dip — to dunk
  4. net — in sport
  5. pitcher — in baseball
  6. dip — to sink
  7. temple — a place of worship
  8. sharp — with an edge
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. temple — side of the head
  11. sharp — clever
  12. mouse — the animal
  13. mouse — for a computer
  14. net — for catching
  15. mine — an explosive
  16. mine — belonging to me
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. temple — a place of worship
  19. ground — a position
  20. net — after costs
  21. ground — the earth
  22. mine — for digging
  23. ground — crushed
  24. mouse — the animal

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