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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. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  2. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  3. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  4. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  5. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  6. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  7. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  8. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  9. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  10. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  11. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  12. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  13. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  14. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  15. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  16. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  17. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  18. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  19. Don't do anything ________________.
  20. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  21. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  22. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  23. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  24. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — a sauce
  2. rash — on the skin
  3. chest — of your body
  4. capital — a big letter
  5. jam — to spread on bread
  6. jam — a tight spot
  7. chest — a box
  8. trunk — of an elephant
  9. craft — boats
  10. trunk — of a car
  11. capital — money
  12. capital — a city
  13. rash — a series
  14. craft — a handicraft
  15. toast — the most admired
  16. chest — of your body
  17. jam — in traffic
  18. dip — to dunk
  19. rash — hasty
  20. toast — a drink to someone
  21. toast — bread
  22. craft — a skill
  23. dip — to sink
  24. trunk — of a tree

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