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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. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  3. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  4. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  5. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  6. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  7. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  8. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  9. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  10. When are we going to ________________?
  11. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  12. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  13. The King held a masked ________________.
  14. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  15. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  16. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  17. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  18. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  19. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  20. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  21. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  22. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  23. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  24. Would you like some apricot ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. dip — to dunk
  2. dip — to sink
  3. jam — in traffic
  4. tear — from crying
  5. dip — a sauce
  6. net — after costs
  7. ball — a round shape
  8. kid — child
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. land — to come down
  11. kid — to tease
  12. net — for catching
  13. ball — a dance
  14. hide — animal skin
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. land — ground
  17. net — in sport
  18. tear — to rip
  19. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  20. land — a country
  21. ball — a great time
  22. jam — a tight spot
  23. tear — from crying
  24. jam — to spread on bread

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