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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. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  2. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  3. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  4. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  5. The ball is in your ________________.
  6. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  7. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  8. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  9. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  10. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  11. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  12. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  13. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  14. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  15. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  16. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  17. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  18. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  19. Where did you ________________ them?
  20. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  21. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  22. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  23. It's one o'clock ________________.
  24. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — to dunk
  2. mug — a face
  3. sharp — clever
  4. mine — for digging
  5. court — for sport
  6. kick — a thrill
  7. mine — belonging to me
  8. court — of law
  9. dip — a sauce
  10. mine — an explosive
  11. mug — a cup
  12. craft — a handicraft
  13. face — to confront
  14. face — to point toward
  15. craft — boats
  16. craft — a skill
  17. sharp — with an edge
  18. kick — in football
  19. mug — to rob
  20. court — of a king
  21. dip — to sink
  22. face — part of the head
  23. sharp — exactly
  24. kick — with a leg

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