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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 120 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. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  2. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  3. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  4. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  5. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  6. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  7. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  8. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  9. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  10. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  11. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  12. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  13. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  14. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  15. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  16. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  17. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  18. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  19. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  20. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  21. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  22. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  23. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  24. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — an explosive
  2. can — to be able to
  3. patient — calm and waiting
  4. dip — to dunk
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. foot — the bottom
  7. mine — for digging
  8. net — after costs
  9. dip — to sink
  10. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  11. foot — a measure
  12. mine — belonging to me
  13. kid — child
  14. pit — a hole
  15. can — a tin
  16. net — for catching
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. foot — part of the body
  19. dip — a sauce
  20. kid — to tease
  21. pit — a fruit stone
  22. net — in sport
  23. pit — in a race
  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