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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. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  3. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  4. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  5. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  6. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  7. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  8. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  9. When was this ________________ built?
  10. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  11. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  12. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  13. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  14. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  15. Did you ________________ the meat?
  16. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  17. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  18. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  19. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  20. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  21. The King held a masked ________________.
  22. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  23. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  24. The ball hit the back of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — to dunk
  2. hand — part of the body
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. ball — a round shape
  5. dip — to sink
  6. hand — help
  7. temple — side of the head
  8. temple — a place of worship
  9. temple — a place of worship
  10. dip — a sauce
  11. drill — a practice
  12. season — in sport
  13. ball — a great time
  14. hand — in cards
  15. season — to add flavour
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. season — of the year
  18. hide — animal skin
  19. net — for catching
  20. net — after costs
  21. ball — a dance
  22. drill — the tool
  23. drill — army training
  24. net — in sport

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