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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 116 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 best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  3. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  4. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  5. You don't need to ________________ round.
  6. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  7. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  8. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  9. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  10. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  11. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  12. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  13. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  14. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  15. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  16. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  17. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  18. We're almost out of ________________.
  19. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  20. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  21. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  22. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  23. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  24. That must've been a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — a sauce
  2. cap — a hat
  3. cap — of ice
  4. row — to paddle
  5. pop — to visit
  6. rush — to hurry
  7. shower — rain
  8. pop — music
  9. cap — a lid
  10. face — part of the head
  11. row — a line
  12. kick — with a leg
  13. face — to point toward
  14. kick — in football
  15. dip — to dunk
  16. face — to confront
  17. dip — to sink
  18. pop — soda
  19. shower — a meteor shower
  20. kick — a thrill
  21. shower — to wash
  22. row — a quarrel
  23. rush — hurry
  24. rush — a thrill

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