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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. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  2. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  3. I've got to change the light ________________.
  4. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  5. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  6. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  7. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  8. I'll be taking the ________________.
  9. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  10. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  11. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  12. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  13. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  14. Have you found your soul ________________?
  15. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  16. Have you met the new head ________________?
  17. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  18. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  19. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  20. The light ________________ burned out.
  21. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  22. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  23. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  24. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — a sauce
  2. mate — a friend
  3. bulb — for light
  4. dip — to dunk
  5. bark — of a tree
  6. chair — a leader
  7. chair — to sit on
  8. tube — the underground
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. tube — in a tire
  11. chair — a professorship
  12. mouse — the animal
  13. coach — pulled by horses
  14. mate — a partner
  15. bulb — of a plant
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. bark — a dog's sound
  18. dip — to sink
  19. tube — a container
  20. bulb — for light
  21. mouse — the animal
  22. mouse — for a computer
  23. bark — to shout
  24. mate — to breed

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