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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. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  2. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  3. He is an ace ________________.
  4. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  5. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  6. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  7. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  8. When will it ________________ you to start?
  9. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  10. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  11. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  12. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  13. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  14. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  15. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  16. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  17. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  18. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  19. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  20. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  21. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  22. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  23. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  24. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — to dunk
  2. suit — clothes
  3. pitcher — in baseball
  4. dip — to sink
  5. kid — to tease
  6. tear — from crying
  7. capital — money
  8. suit — to fit
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. dip — a sauce
  11. tear — to rip
  12. capital — a city
  13. kid — child
  14. suit — in cards
  15. firm — steady
  16. capital — a big letter
  17. firm — decided
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  20. bat — the animal
  21. bat — in an idiom
  22. bat — for baseball
  23. tear — from crying
  24. firm — a company

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