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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 120 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. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  3. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  4. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  5. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  6. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  7. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  8. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  9. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  10. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  11. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  12. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  13. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  14. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  15. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  16. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  17. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  18. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  19. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  20. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  21. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  22. When will it ________________ you to start?
  23. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  24. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — a sauce
  2. wax — for sculpting
  3. pound — for dogs
  4. mouse — the animal
  5. foot — the bottom
  6. suit — in cards
  7. pound — to hit hard
  8. foot — part of the body
  9. dip — to dunk
  10. bat — in an idiom
  11. chest — of your body
  12. foot — a measure
  13. suit — clothes
  14. chest — a box
  15. bat — the animal
  16. bat — for baseball
  17. dip — to sink
  18. wax — to grow
  19. pound — a weight
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. mouse — for a computer
  22. suit — to fit
  23. wax — in the ear
  24. chest — of your body

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