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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. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  2. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  3. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  4. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  5. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  6. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  7. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  8. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  9. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  10. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  11. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  12. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  13. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  14. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  15. He is an ace ________________.
  16. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  17. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  18. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  19. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  20. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  21. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  22. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  23. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  24. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — to cool the air
  2. lie — an untruth
  3. dip — to dunk
  4. fine — all right
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. straw — dry grass
  8. mark — to pay attention
  9. straw — to clutch at straws
  10. straw — a straw man
  11. dip — to sink
  12. mark — a grade
  13. fine — a penalty
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. pitcher — in baseball
  16. bark — a dog's sound
  17. lie — to recline
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. bark — of a tree
  20. mark — a trace
  21. fine — high quality
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. dip — a sauce
  24. bark — to shout

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