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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. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  3. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  4. David sat on the ________________.
  5. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  6. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  7. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  8. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  9. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  10. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  11. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  12. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  13. I'll be taking the ________________.
  14. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  15. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  16. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  17. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  18. The ball is in your ________________.
  19. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  20. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  21. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  22. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  23. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  24. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — to dunk
  2. tear — to rip
  3. court — of law
  4. swing — to play on
  5. court — of a king
  6. wound — an injury
  7. swing — music
  8. tear — from crying
  9. calf — of the leg
  10. tube — a container
  11. swing — in golf
  12. dip — a sauce
  13. tube — the underground
  14. toast — the most admired
  15. tube — in a tire
  16. wound — past of 'wind'
  17. dip — to sink
  18. court — for sport
  19. calf — a young animal
  20. toast — a drink to someone
  21. toast — bread
  22. tear — from crying
  23. wound — an injury
  24. calf — a young animal

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