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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. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  2. The King held a masked ________________.
  3. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  4. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  5. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  6. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  7. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  8. I've got to change the light ________________.
  9. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  10. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  11. He is an ace ________________.
  12. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  13. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  14. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  15. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  16. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  17. The light ________________ burned out.
  18. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  19. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  20. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  21. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  22. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  23. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  24. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — with your hand
  2. ball — a dance
  3. dip — to dunk
  4. straw — dry grass
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. wave — a sudden rise
  8. bulb — for light
  9. dip — a sauce
  10. cue — a signal
  11. pitcher — in baseball
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. cue — for pool
  14. straw — to clutch at straws
  15. dip — to sink
  16. straw — a straw man
  17. bulb — for light
  18. ball — a round shape
  19. cue — a hint
  20. wave — of the sea
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. calf — of the leg
  23. bulb — of a plant
  24. ball — a great time

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