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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: dip · pit · squash · rock · bat · track · shower · face

  1. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  2. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  3. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  4. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  5. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  6. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  7. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  8. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  9. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  10. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  11. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  12. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  13. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  14. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  15. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  16. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  17. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  18. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  19. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  20. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  21. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  22. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  23. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  24. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a song
  2. rock — music
  3. pit — in a race
  4. shower — rain
  5. dip — to dunk
  6. squash — to crush
  7. bat — the animal
  8. pit — a fruit stone
  9. track — to keep track
  10. face — part of the head
  11. rock — to move gently
  12. shower — to wash
  13. track — a path
  14. dip — to sink
  15. rock — a stone
  16. dip — a sauce
  17. face — to point toward
  18. bat — for baseball
  19. pit — a hole
  20. squash — the sport
  21. squash — the vegetable
  22. bat — in an idiom
  23. shower — a meteor shower
  24. face — to confront

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