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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. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  3. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  4. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  5. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  6. That was ________________ to happen.
  7. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  8. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  9. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  10. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  11. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  12. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  13. My father caught me by the ________________.
  14. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  15. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  16. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  17. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  18. Don't do anything ________________.
  19. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  20. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  21. False peace will not ________________.
  22. There's no middle ________________.
  23. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  24. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — to dunk
  2. last — finally
  3. dip — to sink
  4. wax — to grow
  5. last — final
  6. bound — certain
  7. arm — part of the body
  8. ground — crushed
  9. arm — a part of something
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. bound — obliged
  12. wax — for sculpting
  13. arm — part of the body
  14. bound — tied together
  15. rash — a series
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. wax — in the ear
  18. rash — hasty
  19. ground — the earth
  20. rash — on the skin
  21. last — to go on
  22. ground — a position
  23. stick — to attach or keep to
  24. dip — a sauce

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