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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 like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  2. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  3. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  4. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  5. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  6. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  7. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  8. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  9. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  10. Where did you ________________ them?
  11. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  12. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  13. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  14. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  15. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  16. What do you think of the new ________________?
  17. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  18. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  19. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  20. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  21. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  22. Did you ________________ the meat?
  23. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  24. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — to dunk
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. kid — child
  4. row — a quarrel
  5. season — in sport
  6. fan — to cool the air
  7. mug — a cup
  8. mug — a face
  9. patient — calm and waiting
  10. mug — to rob
  11. season — of the year
  12. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  13. dip — a sauce
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. cabinet — a cupboard
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. row — a line
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. row — to paddle
  21. dip — to sink
  22. season — to add flavour
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. kid — to tease

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