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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. You don't need to ________________ round.
  2. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  3. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  4. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  5. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  6. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  7. We're almost out of ________________.
  8. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  9. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  10. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  11. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  12. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  13. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  14. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  15. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  16. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  17. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  18. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  19. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  20. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  21. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  22. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  23. Where did you ________________ them?
  24. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — to visit
  2. mug — a cup
  3. field — farmland
  4. field — for sport
  5. bear — the animal
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. pop — soda
  8. mug — a face
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. snap — to speak sharply
  11. perch — the fish
  12. dip — to sink
  13. hide — animal skin
  14. field — a subject
  15. snap — to click
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. bear — the animal
  18. pop — music
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. bear — to put up with
  21. snap — to snap out of it
  22. dip — to dunk
  23. mug — to rob
  24. dip — a sauce

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