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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 120 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. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  3. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  4. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  5. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  6. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  7. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  8. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  9. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  10. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  11. False peace will not ________________.
  12. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  13. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  14. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  15. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  16. I can't ________________ this cold.
  17. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  18. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  19. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  20. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  21. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  22. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  23. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  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 dunk
  2. lash — to lash out
  3. scale — in music
  4. bear — the animal
  5. chest — of your body
  6. dip — a sauce
  7. lash — an eyelash
  8. scale — for weighing
  9. row — to paddle
  10. last — final
  11. last — to go on
  12. stand — on your feet
  13. scale — size or range
  14. lash — a whip stroke
  15. bear — to put up with
  16. stand — to bear
  17. stand — for spectators
  18. bear — the animal
  19. last — finally
  20. row — a quarrel
  21. dip — to sink
  22. chest — of your body
  23. row — a line
  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