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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. We're on a ________________ here.
  3. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  4. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  5. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  6. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  7. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  8. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  9. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  10. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  11. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  12. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  13. The ________________ went through the wall.
  14. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  15. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  16. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  17. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  18. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  19. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  20. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  21. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  22. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  23. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  24. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — to dunk
  2. roll — on a roll
  3. chest — of your body
  4. vault — a safe
  5. chest — a box
  6. roll — a cake
  7. branch — a division
  8. vault — in gymnastics
  9. drill — the tool
  10. roll — a list
  11. content — the amount
  12. content — happy
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. content — videos and posts
  15. dip — to sink
  16. branch — of a tree
  17. chest — of your body
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. branch — of a bank
  20. drill — army training
  21. dip — a sauce
  22. drill — a practice
  23. nail — on a finger
  24. vault — an arched ceiling

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