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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. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  2. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  3. He is an ace ________________.
  4. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  5. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  6. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  7. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  8. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  9. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  10. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  11. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  12. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  13. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  14. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  15. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  16. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  17. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  18. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  19. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  20. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  21. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  22. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  23. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  24. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?

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

Answer key

  1. dip — a sauce
  2. cue — a hint
  3. pitcher — in baseball
  4. present — the time now
  5. shower — to wash
  6. lash — a whip stroke
  7. cue — for pool
  8. kid — child
  9. cue — a signal
  10. shower — rain
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. lash — an eyelash
  13. present — there
  14. shower — a meteor shower
  15. lash — to lash out
  16. mark — to pay attention
  17. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  18. dip — to dunk
  19. kid — to tease
  20. dip — to sink
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. mark — a grade
  23. mark — a trace
  24. present — a gift

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