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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. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  2. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  3. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  4. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  5. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  6. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  7. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  8. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  9. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  10. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  11. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  12. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  13. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  14. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  15. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  16. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  17. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  18. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  19. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  20. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  21. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  22. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  23. I'll be taking the ________________.
  24. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. dip — a sauce
  3. dip — to dunk
  4. tube — in a tire
  5. bass — the fish
  6. dip — to sink
  7. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  8. kid — child
  9. bass — low music
  10. staff — employees
  11. fall — to drop
  12. wound — past of 'wind'
  13. kick — a thrill
  14. kick — in football
  15. staff — employees
  16. kick — with a leg
  17. kid — to tease
  18. fall — to drop
  19. staff — a stick
  20. wound — an injury
  21. tube — a container
  22. bass — the instrument
  23. tube — the underground
  24. fall — the season

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