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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. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  2. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  3. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  4. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  5. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  6. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  7. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  8. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  9. When will it ________________ you to start?
  10. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  11. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  12. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  13. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  14. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  15. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  16. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  17. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  18. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  19. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  20. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  21. What do you think of the new ________________?
  22. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  23. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  24. I'll be taking the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — a cupboard
  2. suit — in cards
  3. kid — child
  4. dip — a sauce
  5. net — in sport
  6. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  7. tear — to rip
  8. net — for catching
  9. suit — to fit
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. tube — in a tire
  12. foot — the bottom
  13. tear — from crying
  14. foot — a measure
  15. kid — to tease
  16. tube — a container
  17. foot — part of the body
  18. net — after costs
  19. suit — clothes
  20. dip — to sink
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. dip — to dunk
  23. tear — from crying
  24. tube — the underground

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