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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 had a ________________ with my boss today.
  2. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  3. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  4. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  5. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  6. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  7. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  8. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  9. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  10. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  11. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  12. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  13. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  14. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  15. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  16. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  17. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  18. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  19. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  20. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  21. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  22. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  23. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  24. I don't want to ________________ the boat.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a quarrel
  2. pit — in a race
  3. fall — to drop
  4. shower — rain
  5. fall — to drop
  6. pit — a hole
  7. dip — to dunk
  8. content — videos and posts
  9. shower — a meteor shower
  10. row — a line
  11. dip — a sauce
  12. fall — the season
  13. rock — a stone
  14. content — happy
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. pit — a fruit stone
  18. dip — to sink
  19. shower — to wash
  20. rock — music
  21. calf — of the leg
  22. row — to paddle
  23. content — the amount
  24. rock — to move gently

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