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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. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  2. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  3. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  4. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  5. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  6. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  7. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  8. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  9. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  10. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  11. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  12. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  13. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  14. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  15. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  16. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  17. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  18. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  19. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  20. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  21. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  22. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  23. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  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 — a sauce
  2. can — a tin
  3. bat — for baseball
  4. net — after costs
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. can — to be able to
  7. net — in sport
  8. row — a line
  9. bat — the animal
  10. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  11. row — to paddle
  12. dip — to sink
  13. can — a tin
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. bat — in an idiom
  16. net — for catching
  17. dip — to dunk
  18. racket — a loud noise
  19. kid — child
  20. row — a quarrel
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. kid — to tease
  23. calf — of the leg
  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