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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: hide · jam · lie · dip · stick · chest · mouse · date

  1. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  2. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  3. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  4. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  5. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  6. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  7. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  8. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  9. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  10. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  11. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  12. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  13. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  14. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  15. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  16. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  17. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  18. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  19. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  20. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  21. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  22. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  23. Have you settled on a ________________?
  24. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — a sauce
  2. stick — to attach or keep to
  3. mouse — the animal
  4. mouse — the animal
  5. jam — in traffic
  6. date — on the calendar
  7. jam — to spread on bread
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. dip — to sink
  10. chest — a box
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. dip — to dunk
  13. lie — to recline
  14. jam — a tight spot
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. date — the fruit
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. mouse — for a computer
  20. chest — of your body
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. hide — animal skin
  23. date — on the calendar
  24. chest — of your body

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