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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: lean · dip · pop · rush · hide · stick · pitcher · toast

  1. You don't need to ________________ round.
  2. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  3. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  4. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  5. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  6. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  7. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  8. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  9. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  10. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  11. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  12. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  13. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  14. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  15. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  16. That must've been a ________________.
  17. We're almost out of ________________.
  18. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  19. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  20. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  21. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  22. He is an ace ________________.
  23. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  24. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — to visit
  2. rush — hurry
  3. toast — the most admired
  4. pop — music
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. toast — a drink to someone
  7. dip — a sauce
  8. dip — to sink
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. toast — bread
  12. lean — thin
  13. stick — to attach or keep to
  14. lean — to bend
  15. lean — to rest against
  16. rush — a thrill
  17. pop — soda
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. rush — to hurry
  21. hide — animal skin
  22. pitcher — in baseball
  23. stick — a piece of wood
  24. dip — to dunk

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