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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 thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  2. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  3. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  4. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  5. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  6. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  7. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  8. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  9. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  10. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  11. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  12. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  13. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  14. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  15. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  16. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  17. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  18. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  19. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  20. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  21. He was locked up in a ________________.
  22. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  23. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  24. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — the animal
  2. mine — for digging
  3. dip — to dunk
  4. dip — to sink
  5. calf — of the leg
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. hand — part of the body
  8. mine — belonging to me
  9. pit — in a race
  10. cell — in biology
  11. trunk — of an elephant
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. cell — a phone
  14. hand — in cards
  15. mine — an explosive
  16. hand — help
  17. mouse — for a computer
  18. pit — a hole
  19. dip — a sauce
  20. trunk — of a tree
  21. cell — in a prison
  22. trunk — of a car
  23. mouse — the animal
  24. pit — a fruit stone

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