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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. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  2. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  3. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  4. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  5. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  6. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  7. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  8. The light ________________ burned out.
  9. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  10. I've got to change the light ________________.
  11. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  12. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  13. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  14. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  15. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  16. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  17. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  18. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  19. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  20. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  21. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  22. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  23. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  24. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — to dunk
  2. calf — of the leg
  3. bat — for baseball
  4. dip — a sauce
  5. pound — a weight
  6. mine — an explosive
  7. dip — to sink
  8. bulb — for light
  9. fall — to drop
  10. bulb — for light
  11. bulb — of a plant
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. fall — to drop
  14. pound — to hit hard
  15. bat — in an idiom
  16. bass — low music
  17. bass — the instrument
  18. bat — the animal
  19. calf — a young animal
  20. mine — for digging
  21. bass — the fish
  22. mine — belonging to me
  23. pound — for dogs
  24. fall — the season

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