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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. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  3. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  4. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  5. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  6. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  7. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  8. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  9. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  10. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  11. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  12. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  13. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  14. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  15. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  16. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  17. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  18. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  19. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  20. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  21. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  22. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  23. My father caught me by the ________________.
  24. The train ________________ at six o'clock.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — to dunk
  2. arm — part of the body
  3. arm — a part of something
  4. bark — to shout
  5. fine — a penalty
  6. dip — to sink
  7. hand — help
  8. leaves — lets stay
  9. hand — in cards
  10. race — a contest
  11. bark — of a tree
  12. kick — with a leg
  13. kick — in football
  14. kick — a thrill
  15. race — the arms race
  16. leaves — of a tree
  17. fine — high quality
  18. dip — a sauce
  19. bark — a dog's sound
  20. race — humankind
  21. fine — all right
  22. hand — part of the body
  23. arm — part of the body
  24. leaves — to go away

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