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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. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  2. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  3. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  4. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  5. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  6. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  7. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  8. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  9. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  10. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  11. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  12. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  13. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  14. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  15. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  16. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  17. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  18. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  19. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  20. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  21. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  22. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  23. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  24. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a line
  2. dip — to sink
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. band — a music group
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. dip — to dunk
  7. squash — the sport
  8. pass — to spend time
  9. row — a quarrel
  10. hide — animal skin
  11. pass — to succeed
  12. band — a ring
  13. row — to paddle
  14. mouse — the animal
  15. field — for sport
  16. pass — a permit
  17. dip — a sauce
  18. field — a subject
  19. mouse — for a computer
  20. field — farmland
  21. mouse — the animal
  22. band — a rubber band
  23. squash — the vegetable
  24. squash — to crush

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