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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 116 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. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  2. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  3. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  4. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  5. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  6. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  7. He is an ace ________________.
  8. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  9. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  10. Where did you ________________ them?
  11. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  12. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  13. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  14. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  15. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  16. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  17. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  18. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  19. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  20. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  21. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  22. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  23. The water is too ________________.
  24. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a face
  2. perch — the fish
  3. calf — of the leg
  4. dip — a sauce
  5. row — to paddle
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. pitcher — in baseball
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. dip — to sink
  10. mug — to rob
  11. cold — an illness
  12. cold — the Cold War
  13. row — a quarrel
  14. mouse — for a computer
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. dip — to dunk
  18. mug — a cup
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. mouse — the animal
  22. row — a line
  23. cold — not warm
  24. perch — for a bird

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