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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 ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  3. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  4. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  5. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  6. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  7. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  8. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  9. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  10. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  11. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  12. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  13. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  14. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  15. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  16. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  17. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  18. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  19. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  20. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  21. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  22. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  23. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  24. We were using a ________________ as a seat.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — a sauce
  2. bat — for baseball
  3. pitch — completely
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. bore — gave birth
  6. bore — to tire
  7. bat — the animal
  8. pitch — a sports field
  9. bat — in an idiom
  10. squash — to crush
  11. content — happy
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. calf — of the leg
  14. squash — the vegetable
  15. rock — music
  16. dip — to sink
  17. content — the amount
  18. dip — to dunk
  19. pitch — a sales talk
  20. squash — the sport
  21. bore — to drill
  22. rock — to move gently
  23. content — videos and posts
  24. rock — a stone

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