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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. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  2. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  3. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  4. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  5. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  6. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  7. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  8. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  9. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  10. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  11. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  12. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  13. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  14. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  15. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  16. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  17. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  18. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  19. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  20. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  21. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  22. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  23. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  24. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — to dunk
  2. staff — employees
  3. calf — of the leg
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. mouse — for a computer
  6. wake — a trail
  7. wake — to stop sleeping
  8. mouse — the animal
  9. staff — employees
  10. row — to paddle
  11. mine — an explosive
  12. staff — a stick
  13. dip — to sink
  14. mine — for digging
  15. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. mine — belonging to me
  18. wake — before a funeral
  19. mouse — the animal
  20. kid — child
  21. row — a line
  22. row — a quarrel
  23. dip — a sauce
  24. kid — to tease

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