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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. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  3. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  4. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  5. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  6. The King held a masked ________________.
  7. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  8. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  9. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  10. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  11. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  12. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  13. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  14. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  15. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  16. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  17. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  18. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  19. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  20. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  21. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  22. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  23. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  24. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — to dunk
  2. bass — low music
  3. firm — decided
  4. pound — a weight
  5. snap — to snap out of it
  6. ball — a dance
  7. dip — a sauce
  8. bear — to put up with
  9. snap — to speak sharply
  10. snap — to click
  11. file — a tool
  12. firm — steady
  13. bear — the animal
  14. pound — to hit hard
  15. file — a document
  16. ball — a round shape
  17. ball — a great time
  18. pound — for dogs
  19. firm — a company
  20. file — a line of people
  21. bass — the instrument
  22. bass — the fish
  23. bear — the animal
  24. dip — to sink

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