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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. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  2. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  3. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  4. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  5. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  6. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  7. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  8. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  9. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  10. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  11. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  12. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  13. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  14. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  15. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  16. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  17. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  18. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  19. How do you ________________ your surname?
  20. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  21. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  22. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  23. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  24. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — a sauce
  2. net — after costs
  3. row — to paddle
  4. fine — all right
  5. wake — a trail
  6. spell — a short time
  7. foot — part of the body
  8. fine — high quality
  9. face — to point toward
  10. dip — to dunk
  11. fine — a penalty
  12. wake — before a funeral
  13. foot — a measure
  14. net — for catching
  15. face — part of the head
  16. row — a quarrel
  17. wake — to stop sleeping
  18. dip — to sink
  19. spell — letters
  20. face — to confront
  21. row — a line
  22. spell — magic
  23. net — in sport
  24. foot — the bottom

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