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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. When will it ________________ you to start?
  2. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  3. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  4. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  5. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  6. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  7. I can't ________________ this cold.
  8. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  9. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  10. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  11. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  12. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  13. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  14. I'll be taking the ________________.
  15. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  16. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  17. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  18. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  19. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  20. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  21. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  22. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  23. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  24. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.

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

Answer key

  1. suit — to fit
  2. dip — to dunk
  3. bat — in an idiom
  4. tube — a container
  5. mine — for digging
  6. dip — a sauce
  7. stand — to bear
  8. mine — belonging to me
  9. trunk — of an elephant
  10. suit — clothes
  11. bat — for baseball
  12. stand — on your feet
  13. tube — in a tire
  14. tube — the underground
  15. trunk — of a tree
  16. dip — to sink
  17. suit — in cards
  18. fall — the season
  19. fall — to drop
  20. stand — for spectators
  21. mine — an explosive
  22. fall — to drop
  23. trunk — of a car
  24. bat — the 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