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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. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  2. We're almost out of ________________.
  3. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  4. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  5. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  6. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  7. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  8. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  9. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  10. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  11. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  12. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  13. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  14. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  15. The King held a masked ________________.
  16. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  17. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  18. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  19. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  20. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  21. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  22. You don't need to ________________ round.
  23. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  24. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — size or range
  2. pop — soda
  3. lie — to recline
  4. kid — to tease
  5. dip — to sink
  6. scale — in music
  7. ball — a round shape
  8. kid — child
  9. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. chest — of your body
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. chest — of your body
  14. pop — music
  15. ball — a dance
  16. dip — to dunk
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. scale — for weighing
  19. chest — a box
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. ball — a great time
  22. pop — to visit
  23. calf — of the leg
  24. dip — a sauce

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