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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.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
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Word bank
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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 would like to have a ________________ here.
  2. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  3. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  4. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  5. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  6. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  7. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  8. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  9. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  10. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  11. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  12. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  13. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  14. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  15. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  16. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  17. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  18. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  19. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  20. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  21. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  22. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  23. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  24. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — a break
  2. object — to protest
  3. dip — to dunk
  4. bowl — a dish
  5. branch — of a bank
  6. pit — a hole
  7. bowl — to roll
  8. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  9. rest — what's left
  10. kid — child
  11. rest — what's left
  12. pit — a fruit stone
  13. branch — a division
  14. branch — of a tree
  15. pit — in a race
  16. wound — an injury
  17. kid — to tease
  18. wound — past of 'wind'
  19. dip — to sink
  20. bowl — a football final
  21. object — an aim
  22. object — a thing
  23. wound — an injury
  24. dip — a sauce

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