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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. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  3. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  4. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  5. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  6. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  7. That was a fun ________________.
  8. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  9. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  10. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  11. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  12. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  13. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  14. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  15. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  16. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  17. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  18. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  19. Don't do anything ________________.
  20. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  21. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  22. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  23. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  24. I've got the luggage in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — to dunk
  2. pound — for dogs
  3. dip — a sauce
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. mine — for digging
  6. racket — a loud noise
  7. game — a match
  8. pound — to hit hard
  9. mine — belonging to me
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. rash — on the skin
  12. pound — a weight
  13. trunk — of a tree
  14. game — a kind of play
  15. rest — a break
  16. rest — what's left
  17. mine — an explosive
  18. game — wild animals
  19. rash — hasty
  20. dip — to sink
  21. rash — a series
  22. trunk — of an elephant
  23. rest — what's left
  24. trunk — of a car

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