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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. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  2. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  3. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  4. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  5. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  6. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  7. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  8. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  9. We're on a ________________ here.
  10. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  11. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  12. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  13. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  14. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  15. The light ________________ burned out.
  16. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  17. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  18. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  19. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  20. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  21. I've got to change the light ________________.
  22. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  23. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  24. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.

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

Answer key

  1. object — to protest
  2. dip — a sauce
  3. dip — to dunk
  4. roll — a cake
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. toast — a drink to someone
  7. toast — bread
  8. toast — the most admired
  9. roll — on a roll
  10. roll — a list
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. object — an aim
  13. patient — calm and waiting
  14. bulb — of a plant
  15. bulb — for light
  16. capital — money
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. capital — a big letter
  19. calf — a young animal
  20. object — a thing
  21. bulb — for light
  22. capital — a city
  23. calf — of the leg
  24. dip — to sink

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