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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. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  3. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  4. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  5. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  6. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  7. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  8. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  9. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  10. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  11. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  12. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  13. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  14. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  15. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  16. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  17. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  18. Don't do anything ________________.
  19. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  20. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  21. When was this ________________ built?
  22. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  23. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  24. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — a sauce
  2. hand — part of the body
  3. hand — in cards
  4. wave — of the sea
  5. root — of a word
  6. track — to keep track
  7. wave — with your hand
  8. root — the cause
  9. track — a song
  10. club — for dancing
  11. club — for golf
  12. wave — a sudden rise
  13. club — a group
  14. temple — a place of worship
  15. temple — side of the head
  16. dip — to dunk
  17. root — of a plant
  18. rash — hasty
  19. hand — help
  20. rash — on the skin
  21. temple — a place of worship
  22. dip — to sink
  23. track — a path
  24. rash — a series

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