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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. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  3. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  4. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  5. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  6. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  7. My mare is ________________ in color.
  8. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  9. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  10. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  11. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  12. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  13. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  14. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  15. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  16. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  17. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  18. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  19. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  20. When are we going to ________________?
  21. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  22. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  23. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  24. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — a sauce
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. spring — the season
  6. fall — to drop
  7. bay — a horse colour
  8. bay — a part of the sea
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. fall — to drop
  11. content — the amount
  12. calf — of the leg
  13. spring — of water
  14. dip — to dunk
  15. content — happy
  16. land — a country
  17. content — videos and posts
  18. fall — the season
  19. land — ground
  20. land — to come down
  21. bay — to keep at bay
  22. spring — a coil
  23. dip — to sink
  24. hide — animal skin

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