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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. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  2. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  3. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  4. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  5. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  6. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  7. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  8. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  9. When are we going to ________________?
  10. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  11. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  12. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  13. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  14. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  15. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  16. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  17. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  18. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  19. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  20. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  21. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  22. It's one o'clock ________________.
  23. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  24. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — to dunk
  2. land — ground
  3. foot — a measure
  4. chip — for betting
  5. land — a country
  6. calf — of the leg
  7. sharp — with an edge
  8. face — to confront
  9. land — to come down
  10. face — to point toward
  11. dip — a sauce
  12. foot — part of the body
  13. chip — in a computer
  14. dip — to sink
  15. sharp — clever
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. chip — to eat
  18. foot — the bottom
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. fan — to cool the air
  21. face — part of the head
  22. sharp — exactly
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. calf — a young animal

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