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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. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  3. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  4. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  5. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  6. That was ________________ to happen.
  7. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  8. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  9. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  10. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  11. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  12. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  13. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  14. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  15. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  16. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  17. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  18. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  19. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  20. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  21. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  22. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  23. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  24. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — a sauce
  2. kid — child
  3. lash — to lash out
  4. row — a quarrel
  5. kid — to tease
  6. bound — certain
  7. row — to paddle
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. lie — to recline
  10. bank — of a river
  11. chair — to sit on
  12. row — a line
  13. chair — a professorship
  14. bound — tied together
  15. dip — to dunk
  16. bank — for money
  17. bound — obliged
  18. bank — for money
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. lash — a whip stroke
  21. chair — a leader
  22. dip — to sink
  23. lash — an eyelash
  24. kid — young goat (kid gloves)

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