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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. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  2. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  3. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  4. There's no middle ________________.
  5. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  6. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  7. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  8. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  9. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  10. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  11. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  12. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  13. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  14. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  15. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  16. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  17. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  18. When was this ________________ built?
  19. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  20. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  21. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  22. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  23. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  24. Add some ________________ pepper to it.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — to dunk
  2. staff — a stick
  3. jam — to spread on bread
  4. ground — a position
  5. cue — for pool
  6. chest — of your body
  7. temple — side of the head
  8. wax — to grow
  9. cue — a signal
  10. wax — for sculpting
  11. staff — employees
  12. wax — in the ear
  13. jam — a tight spot
  14. chest — of your body
  15. dip — a sauce
  16. temple — a place of worship
  17. jam — in traffic
  18. temple — a place of worship
  19. cue — a hint
  20. staff — employees
  21. ground — the earth
  22. chest — a box
  23. dip — to sink
  24. ground — crushed

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