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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 120 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. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  3. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  4. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  5. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  6. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  7. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  8. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  9. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  10. When are we going to ________________?
  11. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  12. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  13. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  14. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  15. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  16. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  17. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  18. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  19. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  20. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  21. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  22. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  23. He was locked up in a ________________.
  24. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — to sink
  2. fine — high quality
  3. fine — all right
  4. file — a document
  5. cell — in biology
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. squash — the vegetable
  8. land — ground
  9. squash — the sport
  10. land — to come down
  11. file — a line of people
  12. file — a tool
  13. track — a song
  14. squash — to crush
  15. dip — to dunk
  16. track — to keep track
  17. cell — a phone
  18. dip — a sauce
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. fine — a penalty
  21. land — a country
  22. track — a path
  23. cell — in a prison
  24. lie — to recline

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