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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. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  2. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  3. That was a fun ________________.
  4. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  5. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  6. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  7. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  8. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  9. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  10. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  11. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  12. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  13. Have you settled on a ________________?
  14. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  15. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  16. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  17. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  18. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  19. Don't do anything ________________.
  20. What do you think of the new ________________?
  21. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  22. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  23. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  24. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — to sink
  2. staff — employees
  3. game — a match
  4. chest — of your body
  5. dip — to dunk
  6. bark — to shout
  7. dip — a sauce
  8. cabinet — a cupboard
  9. game — a kind of play
  10. staff — employees
  11. bark — a dog's sound
  12. bark — of a tree
  13. date — on the calendar
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. rash — a series
  16. game — wild animals
  17. date — the fruit
  18. date — on the calendar
  19. rash — hasty
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. chest — of your body
  22. staff — a stick
  23. rash — on the skin
  24. chest — a box

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