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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. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  2. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  3. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  4. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  5. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  6. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  7. It's one o'clock ________________.
  8. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  9. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  10. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  11. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  12. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  13. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  14. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  15. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  16. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  17. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  18. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  19. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  20. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  21. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  22. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  23. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  24. Recycle the empty soda ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — the most admired
  2. straw — a straw man
  3. dip — to sink
  4. dip — a sauce
  5. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  6. sharp — clever
  7. sharp — exactly
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. toast — a drink to someone
  10. straw — to clutch at straws
  11. straw — dry grass
  12. kid — to tease
  13. root — of a plant
  14. stick — to attach or keep to
  15. root — the cause
  16. toast — bread
  17. can — a tin
  18. sharp — with an edge
  19. dip — to dunk
  20. can — to be able to
  21. root — of a word
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. kid — child
  24. can — a tin

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