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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. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  2. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  3. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  4. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  5. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  6. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  7. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  8. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  9. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  10. Have you met the new head ________________?
  11. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  12. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  13. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  14. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  15. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  16. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  17. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  18. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  19. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  20. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  21. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  22. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  23. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  24. David sat on the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. can — to be able to
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. bore — to tire
  4. swing — in golf
  5. dip — a sauce
  6. wave — with your hand
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. bore — gave birth
  9. kick — with a leg
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. wave — a sudden rise
  12. kick — in football
  13. coach — pulled by horses
  14. dip — to dunk
  15. can — a tin
  16. swing — music
  17. stick — to attach or keep to
  18. wave — of the sea
  19. bore — to drill
  20. can — a tin
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. dip — to sink
  23. kick — a thrill
  24. swing — to play on

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