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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. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  3. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  4. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  5. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  6. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  7. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  8. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  9. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  10. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  11. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  12. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  13. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  14. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  15. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  16. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  17. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  18. We're almost out of ________________.
  19. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  20. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  21. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  22. You don't need to ________________ round.
  23. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  24. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?

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

Answer key

  1. dip — a sauce
  2. bark — to shout
  3. pop — music
  4. present — there
  5. wave — a sudden rise
  6. net — after costs
  7. dip — to dunk
  8. snap — to click
  9. net — in sport
  10. wave — of the sea
  11. snap — to snap out of it
  12. net — for catching
  13. mine — for digging
  14. wave — with your hand
  15. present — the time now
  16. snap — to speak sharply
  17. bark — of a tree
  18. pop — soda
  19. mine — an explosive
  20. mine — belonging to me
  21. dip — to sink
  22. pop — to visit
  23. bark — a dog's sound
  24. present — a gift

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