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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 116 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 shouldn't ________________ things.
  3. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  4. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  5. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  6. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  7. I'll be taking the ________________.
  8. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  9. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  10. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  11. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  12. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  13. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  14. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  15. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  16. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  17. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  18. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  19. That must've been a ________________.
  20. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  21. David sat on the ________________.
  22. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  23. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  24. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — an explosive
  2. rush — to hurry
  3. dip — to dunk
  4. chair — a professorship
  5. tube — in a tire
  6. dip — a sauce
  7. tube — the underground
  8. tube — a container
  9. chair — to sit on
  10. kid — child
  11. rush — hurry
  12. chair — a leader
  13. swing — music
  14. dip — to sink
  15. mine — belonging to me
  16. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  17. lean — thin
  18. mine — for digging
  19. rush — a thrill
  20. lean — to rest against
  21. swing — to play on
  22. swing — in golf
  23. lean — to bend
  24. kid — to tease

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