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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. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  2. We're on a ________________ here.
  3. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  4. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  5. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  6. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  7. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  8. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  9. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  10. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  11. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  12. It's one o'clock ________________.
  13. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  14. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  15. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  16. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  17. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  18. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  19. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  20. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  21. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  22. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  23. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  24. The elephant has a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — to dunk
  2. roll — on a roll
  3. lash — an eyelash
  4. kick — with a leg
  5. wake — to stop sleeping
  6. kick — in football
  7. wake — a trail
  8. trunk — of a tree
  9. lash — a whip stroke
  10. wake — before a funeral
  11. sharp — clever
  12. sharp — exactly
  13. dip — to sink
  14. shower — a meteor shower
  15. roll — a cake
  16. kick — a thrill
  17. shower — rain
  18. lash — to lash out
  19. sharp — with an edge
  20. dip — a sauce
  21. shower — to wash
  22. trunk — of a car
  23. roll — a list
  24. trunk — of an elephant

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