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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. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  2. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  3. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  4. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  5. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  6. That was ________________ to happen.
  7. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  8. The ________________ took off on time.
  9. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  10. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  11. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  12. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  13. The King held a masked ________________.
  14. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  15. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  16. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  17. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  18. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  19. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  20. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  21. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  22. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  23. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  24. I'd like to play a game of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — a sauce
  2. track — a path
  3. ball — a great time
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. bound — certain
  7. track — to keep track
  8. plane — an aircraft
  9. lie — to recline
  10. dip — to sink
  11. squash — the vegetable
  12. plane — a tool
  13. ball — a dance
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. plane — in geometry
  16. track — a song
  17. patient — calm and waiting
  18. bound — tied together
  19. bound — obliged
  20. squash — to crush
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. dip — to dunk
  23. ball — a round shape
  24. squash — the sport

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