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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 ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  2. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  3. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  4. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  5. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  6. The King held a masked ________________.
  7. He was locked up in a ________________.
  8. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  9. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  10. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  11. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  12. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  13. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  14. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  15. Have you settled on a ________________?
  16. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  17. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  18. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  19. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  20. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  21. He is an ace ________________.
  22. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  23. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  24. Recycle the empty soda ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. straw — a straw man
  3. ball — a round shape
  4. straw — dry grass
  5. date — the fruit
  6. ball — a dance
  7. cell — in a prison
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. can — a tin
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. cell — in biology
  12. straw — to clutch at straws
  13. dip — to sink
  14. cell — a phone
  15. date — on the calendar
  16. dip — a sauce
  17. ball — a great time
  18. dip — to dunk
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. date — on the calendar
  21. pitcher — in baseball
  22. can — to be able to
  23. hide — animal skin
  24. can — a tin

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