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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. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  2. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  3. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  4. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  5. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  6. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  7. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  8. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  9. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  10. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  11. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  12. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  13. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  14. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  15. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  16. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  17. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  18. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  19. Don't do anything ________________.
  20. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  21. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  22. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  23. This piece is in a major ________________.
  24. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — to sink
  2. can — to be able to
  3. lie — to recline
  4. bark — to shout
  5. net — after costs
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. dip — a sauce
  8. kid — to tease
  9. key — the most important part
  10. rash — a series
  11. dip — to dunk
  12. net — for catching
  13. net — in sport
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. bark — a dog's sound
  16. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  17. can — a tin
  18. rash — on the skin
  19. rash — hasty
  20. kid — child
  21. bark — of a tree
  22. key — for a lock
  23. key — in music
  24. can — a tin

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