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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 116 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. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  2. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  3. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  4. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  5. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  6. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  7. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  8. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  9. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  10. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  11. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  12. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  13. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  14. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  15. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  16. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  17. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  18. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  19. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  20. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  21. That was ________________ to happen.
  22. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  23. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  24. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — to sink
  2. present — a gift
  3. dip — a sauce
  4. fall — to drop
  5. kid — child
  6. rock — to move gently
  7. present — the time now
  8. fall — to drop
  9. dip — to dunk
  10. fall — the season
  11. bound — obliged
  12. present — there
  13. rock — music
  14. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  15. kid — to tease
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. calf — of the leg
  19. rock — a stone
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. bound — certain
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. bound — tied together
  24. perch — the fish

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