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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. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  3. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  4. When are we going to ________________?
  5. What do you think of the new ________________?
  6. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  7. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  8. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  9. Where did you ________________ them?
  10. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  11. The ball is in your ________________.
  12. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  13. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  14. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  15. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  16. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  17. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  18. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  19. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  20. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  21. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  22. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  23. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  24. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.

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

Answer key

  1. object — to protest
  2. mug — a cup
  3. dip — to dunk
  4. land — to come down
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. mark — a trace
  7. mark — to pay attention
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. mug — to rob
  10. object — an aim
  11. court — for sport
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. dip — a sauce
  14. mug — a face
  15. land — ground
  16. calf — of the leg
  17. court — of law
  18. court — of a king
  19. object — a thing
  20. mark — a grade
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. dip — to sink
  23. cabinet — a cupboard
  24. land — a country

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