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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. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  3. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  4. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  5. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  6. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  7. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  8. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  9. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  10. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  11. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  12. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  13. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  14. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  15. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  16. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  17. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  18. Where did you ________________ them?
  19. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  20. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  21. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  22. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  23. The water is too ________________.
  24. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — to dunk
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. cold — an illness
  4. pit — a hole
  5. mug — a cup
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. dip — to sink
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. leaves — lets stay
  10. calf — of the leg
  11. pound — for dogs
  12. pit — in a race
  13. fan — to cool the air
  14. leaves — of a tree
  15. dip — a sauce
  16. pound — a weight
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. mug — to rob
  19. leaves — to go away
  20. mug — a face
  21. pound — to hit hard
  22. pit — a fruit stone
  23. cold — not warm
  24. cold — the Cold War

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