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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. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  2. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  3. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  4. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  5. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  6. The water is too ________________.
  7. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  8. This piece is in a major ________________.
  9. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  10. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  11. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  12. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  13. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  14. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  15. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  16. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  17. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  18. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  19. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  20. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  21. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  22. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  23. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  24. Hard work is the ________________ to success.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — to sink
  2. straw — dry grass
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. dip — a sauce
  5. club — a group
  6. cold — not warm
  7. fine — high quality
  8. key — in music
  9. bat — in an idiom
  10. calf — of the leg
  11. bat — for baseball
  12. cold — the Cold War
  13. fine — a penalty
  14. fine — all right
  15. cold — an illness
  16. bat — the animal
  17. straw — to clutch at straws
  18. straw — a straw man
  19. club — for golf
  20. dip — to dunk
  21. club — for dancing
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. key — for a lock
  24. key — the most important part

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