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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: date · dip · lie · stick · pop · swing · bat · row

  1. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  2. Have you settled on a ________________?
  3. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  4. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  5. We're almost out of ________________.
  6. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  7. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  8. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  9. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  10. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  11. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  12. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  13. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  14. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  15. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  16. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  17. You don't need to ________________ round.
  18. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  19. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  20. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  21. David sat on the ________________.
  22. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  23. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  24. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.

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

Answer key

  1. date — the fruit
  2. date — on the calendar
  3. dip — to dunk
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. pop — soda
  6. stick — to attach or keep to
  7. dip — to sink
  8. pop — music
  9. row — to paddle
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. bat — the animal
  13. date — on the calendar
  14. row — a quarrel
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. swing — music
  17. pop — to visit
  18. row — a line
  19. bat — for baseball
  20. lie — to recline
  21. swing — to play on
  22. dip — a sauce
  23. bat — in an idiom
  24. swing — in golf

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