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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. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  2. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  3. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  4. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  5. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  6. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  7. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  8. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  9. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  10. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  11. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  12. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  13. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  14. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  15. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  16. How do you ________________ your surname?
  17. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  18. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  19. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  20. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  21. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  22. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  23. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  24. I got dealt a bad ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — to sink
  2. file — a document
  3. squash — the sport
  4. hand — part of the body
  5. track — a song
  6. squash — the vegetable
  7. hand — help
  8. straw — to clutch at straws
  9. track — to keep track
  10. track — a path
  11. dip — a sauce
  12. pitch — a sales talk
  13. spell — magic
  14. spell — a short time
  15. pitch — completely
  16. spell — letters
  17. file — a line of people
  18. dip — to dunk
  19. squash — to crush
  20. straw — dry grass
  21. pitch — a sports field
  22. straw — a straw man
  23. file — a tool
  24. hand — in cards

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