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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. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  2. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  3. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  4. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  5. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  6. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  7. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  8. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  9. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  10. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  11. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  12. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  13. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  14. Have you settled on a ________________?
  15. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  16. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  17. We're almost out of ________________.
  18. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  19. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  20. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  21. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  22. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  23. You don't need to ________________ round.
  24. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. wind — to turn a key
  3. dip — a sauce
  4. bat — the animal
  5. bat — for baseball
  6. wind — moving air
  7. date — on the calendar
  8. bat — in an idiom
  9. dip — to sink
  10. stick — to attach or keep to
  11. jam — to spread on bread
  12. trunk — of an elephant
  13. date — the fruit
  14. date — on the calendar
  15. jam — in traffic
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. pop — soda
  18. wind — moving air
  19. jam — a tight spot
  20. pop — music
  21. trunk — of a car
  22. dip — to dunk
  23. pop — to visit
  24. trunk — of a tree

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