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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. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  2. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  3. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  4. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  5. Don't do anything ________________.
  6. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  7. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  8. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  9. He was locked up in a ________________.
  10. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  11. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  12. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  13. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  14. This piece is in a major ________________.
  15. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  16. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  17. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  18. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  19. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  20. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  21. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  22. Have you met the new head ________________?
  23. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  24. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — to dunk
  2. can — a tin
  3. kid — to tease
  4. rash — on the skin
  5. rash — hasty
  6. trunk — of an elephant
  7. key — the most important part
  8. dip — a sauce
  9. cell — in a prison
  10. can — to be able to
  11. can — a tin
  12. cell — in biology
  13. rash — a series
  14. key — in music
  15. coach — pulled by horses
  16. cell — a phone
  17. kid — child
  18. trunk — of a car
  19. key — for a lock
  20. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  21. dip — to sink
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. trunk — of a tree

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