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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 dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  2. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  3. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  4. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  5. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  6. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  7. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  8. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  9. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  10. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  11. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  12. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  13. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  14. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  15. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  16. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  17. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  18. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  19. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  20. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  21. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  22. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  23. This piece is in a major ________________.
  24. A ________________ is just a dried plum.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — a meteor shower
  2. dip — to sink
  3. dip — to dunk
  4. club — a group
  5. club — for golf
  6. face — part of the head
  7. content — videos and posts
  8. dip — a sauce
  9. shower — rain
  10. club — for dancing
  11. key — for a lock
  12. content — happy
  13. shower — to wash
  14. face — to point toward
  15. fork — a garden tool
  16. content — the amount
  17. face — to confront
  18. prune — to trim
  19. key — the most important part
  20. fork — in a road
  21. prune — to trim
  22. fork — to eat with
  23. key — in music
  24. prune — the fruit

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