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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. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  2. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  3. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  4. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  5. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  6. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  7. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  8. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  9. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  10. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  11. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  12. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  13. It's one o'clock ________________.
  14. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  15. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  16. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  17. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  18. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  19. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  20. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  21. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  22. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  23. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  24. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — to sink
  2. perch — the fish
  3. dip — a sauce
  4. dip — to dunk
  5. staff — a stick
  6. sharp — clever
  7. cap — a lid
  8. stem — a stem cell
  9. hand — part of the body
  10. stem — of a plant
  11. shower — to wash
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. sharp — exactly
  14. cap — of ice
  15. stem — to come from
  16. hand — help
  17. sharp — with an edge
  18. staff — employees
  19. staff — employees
  20. cap — a hat
  21. hand — in cards
  22. shower — a meteor shower
  23. shower — rain
  24. perch — for a bird

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