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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. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  3. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  4. Did you ________________ the meat?
  5. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  6. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  7. He works in a ________________ mill.
  8. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  9. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  10. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  11. She's very handy with a ________________.
  12. When are we going to ________________?
  13. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  14. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  15. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  16. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  17. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  18. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  19. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  20. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  21. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  22. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  23. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  24. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — to dunk
  2. cue — for pool
  3. foot — part of the body
  4. season — to add flavour
  5. dip — a sauce
  6. kid — to tease
  7. saw — the tool
  8. land — ground
  9. pit — a hole
  10. pit — a fruit stone
  11. saw — the tool
  12. land — to come down
  13. land — a country
  14. cue — a signal
  15. saw — past of 'see'
  16. dip — to sink
  17. pit — in a race
  18. season — in sport
  19. kid — child
  20. cue — a hint
  21. foot — a measure
  22. foot — the bottom
  23. season — of the year
  24. kid — young goat (kid gloves)

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