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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. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  3. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  4. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  5. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  6. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  7. Have you found your soul ________________?
  8. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  9. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  10. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  11. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  12. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  13. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  14. That was a fun ________________.
  15. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  16. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  17. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  18. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  19. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  20. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  21. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  22. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  23. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  24. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — to sink
  2. wake — before a funeral
  3. wake — a trail
  4. dip — a sauce
  5. tear — from crying
  6. content — happy
  7. mate — a partner
  8. tear — to rip
  9. content — videos and posts
  10. game — wild animals
  11. craft — boats
  12. club — for dancing
  13. mate — to breed
  14. game — a match
  15. club — for golf
  16. dip — to dunk
  17. craft — a skill
  18. content — the amount
  19. tear — from crying
  20. wake — to stop sleeping
  21. game — a kind of play
  22. mate — a friend
  23. craft — a handicraft
  24. club — a group

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