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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. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  2. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  3. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  4. It's one o'clock ________________.
  5. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  6. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  7. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  8. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  9. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  10. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  11. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  12. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  13. Don't do anything ________________.
  14. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  15. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  16. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  17. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  18. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  19. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  20. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  21. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  22. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  23. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  24. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. rash — on the skin
  3. dip — to dunk
  4. sharp — exactly
  5. dip — a sauce
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. sharp — clever
  9. sharp — with an edge
  10. stick — to attach or keep to
  11. present — a gift
  12. present — the time now
  13. rash — hasty
  14. rash — a series
  15. kid — to tease
  16. kid — child
  17. calf — of the leg
  18. patient — calm and waiting
  19. calf — a young animal
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. present — there
  22. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  23. dip — to sink
  24. patient — a sick person

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