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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. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  2. That must've been a ________________.
  3. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  4. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  5. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  6. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  7. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  8. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  9. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  10. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  11. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  12. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  13. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  14. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  15. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  16. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  17. The ________________ took off on time.
  18. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  19. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  20. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  21. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  22. He is an ace ________________.
  23. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  24. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — a sauce
  2. rush — a thrill
  3. rush — to hurry
  4. rush — hurry
  5. calf — of the leg
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. plane — in geometry
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. pass — to spend time
  10. pass — to succeed
  11. tear — to rip
  12. net — after costs
  13. dip — to dunk
  14. dip — to sink
  15. net — for catching
  16. tear — from crying
  17. plane — an aircraft
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. plane — a tool
  20. net — in sport
  21. tear — from crying
  22. pitcher — in baseball
  23. pass — a permit
  24. pitcher — a jug

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