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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. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  2. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  3. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  4. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  5. Don't do anything ________________.
  6. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  7. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  8. You don't need to ________________ round.
  9. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  10. We're almost out of ________________.
  11. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  12. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  13. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  14. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  15. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  16. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  17. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  18. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  19. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  20. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  21. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  22. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  23. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  24. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. content — the amount
  2. dip — to sink
  3. dip — to dunk
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. rash — hasty
  6. dip — a sauce
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. pop — to visit
  9. content — videos and posts
  10. pop — soda
  11. content — happy
  12. march — music
  13. pop — music
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. wake — a trail
  16. march — the month
  17. rash — on the skin
  18. wake — before a funeral
  19. wake — to stop sleeping
  20. racket — a loud noise
  21. rash — a series
  22. march — the month
  23. lie — to recline
  24. lie — an untruth

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