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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. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  2. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  3. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  4. I'll be taking the ________________.
  5. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  6. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  7. He works in a ________________ mill.
  8. She's very handy with a ________________.
  9. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  10. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  11. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  12. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  13. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  14. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  15. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  16. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  17. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  18. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  19. When will it ________________ you to start?
  20. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  21. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  22. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  23. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  24. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — a sauce
  2. kid — child
  3. dip — to dunk
  4. tube — the underground
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. can — a tin
  7. saw — the tool
  8. saw — the tool
  9. can — a tin
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. bat — the animal
  12. suit — in cards
  13. kid — to tease
  14. racket — a loud noise
  15. tube — a container
  16. can — to be able to
  17. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  18. bat — for baseball
  19. suit — to fit
  20. bat — in an idiom
  21. suit — clothes
  22. tube — in a tire
  23. saw — past of 'see'
  24. dip — to sink

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