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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. When was this ________________ built?
  3. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  4. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  5. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  6. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  7. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  8. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  9. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  10. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  11. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  12. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  13. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  14. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  15. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  16. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  17. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  18. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  19. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  20. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  21. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  22. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  23. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  24. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — to dunk
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. wound — an injury
  5. shower — to wash
  6. dip — a sauce
  7. mark — a trace
  8. mark — a grade
  9. shower — a meteor shower
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. firm — a company
  12. file — a document
  13. wound — past of 'wind'
  14. wound — an injury
  15. temple — side of the head
  16. file — a tool
  17. shower — rain
  18. file — a line of people
  19. firm — decided
  20. firm — steady
  21. mark — to pay attention
  22. temple — a place of worship
  23. calf — of the leg
  24. dip — to sink

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