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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. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  2. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  3. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  4. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  5. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  6. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  7. We're on a ________________ here.
  8. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  9. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  10. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  11. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  12. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  13. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  14. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  15. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  16. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  17. Did you ________________ the meat?
  18. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  19. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  20. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  21. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  22. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  23. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  24. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — a sauce
  2. wound — an injury
  3. kid — child
  4. mark — a trace
  5. wound — an injury
  6. season — in sport
  7. roll — on a roll
  8. mark — a grade
  9. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  10. roll — a cake
  11. rest — what's left
  12. wound — past of 'wind'
  13. mark — to pay attention
  14. dip — to dunk
  15. pound — a weight
  16. kid — to tease
  17. season — to add flavour
  18. dip — to sink
  19. pound — to hit hard
  20. rest — a break
  21. pound — for dogs
  22. rest — what's left
  23. season — of the year
  24. roll — a list

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