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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. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  2. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  3. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  4. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  5. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  6. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  7. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  8. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  9. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  10. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  11. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  12. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  13. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  14. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  15. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  16. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  17. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  18. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  19. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  20. He was locked up in a ________________.
  21. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  22. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  23. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  24. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — to roll
  2. dip — a sauce
  3. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  4. chest — a box
  5. dip — to sink
  6. kid — child
  7. current — happening now
  8. chest — of your body
  9. wake — to stop sleeping
  10. toast — the most admired
  11. wake — before a funeral
  12. bowl — a dish
  13. kid — to tease
  14. bowl — a football final
  15. cell — a phone
  16. dip — to dunk
  17. chest — of your body
  18. wake — a trail
  19. current — electric
  20. cell — in a prison
  21. toast — a drink to someone
  22. current — of water
  23. cell — in biology
  24. toast — bread

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