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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. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  2. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  3. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  4. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  5. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  6. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  7. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  8. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  9. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  10. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  11. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  12. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  13. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  14. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  15. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  16. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  17. Where did you ________________ them?
  18. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  19. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  20. Did you ________________ the meat?
  21. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  22. The King held a masked ________________.
  23. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  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. mug — a face
  2. ball — a round shape
  3. season — of the year
  4. prune — the fruit
  5. dip — a sauce
  6. lean — to bend
  7. net — after costs
  8. mug — a cup
  9. net — for catching
  10. net — in sport
  11. hand — in cards
  12. hand — part of the body
  13. prune — to trim
  14. season — in sport
  15. hand — help
  16. lean — to rest against
  17. mug — to rob
  18. lean — thin
  19. prune — to trim
  20. season — to add flavour
  21. dip — to dunk
  22. ball — a dance
  23. ball — a great time
  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