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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 like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  3. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  4. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  5. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  6. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  7. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  8. David sat on the ________________.
  9. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  10. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  11. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  12. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  13. Have you found your soul ________________?
  14. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  15. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  16. Have you met the new head ________________?
  17. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  18. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  19. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  20. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  21. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  22. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  23. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  24. My father caught me by the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — a sauce
  2. dip — to dunk
  3. swing — music
  4. mate — a friend
  5. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  6. mate — to breed
  7. coach — pulled by horses
  8. swing — to play on
  9. band — a ring
  10. staff — employees
  11. band — a music group
  12. kid — to tease
  13. mate — a partner
  14. arm — a part of something
  15. dip — to sink
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. swing — in golf
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. kid — child
  20. staff — a stick
  21. band — a rubber band
  22. staff — employees
  23. arm — part of the body
  24. arm — part of the body

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