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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. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  3. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  4. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  5. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  6. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  7. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  8. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  9. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  10. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  11. The tickets are free of ________________.
  12. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  13. The light ________________ burned out.
  14. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  15. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  16. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  17. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  18. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  19. I've got to change the light ________________.
  20. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  21. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  22. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  23. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  24. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — to dunk
  2. tear — from crying
  3. straw — a straw man
  4. cue — a hint
  5. pound — for dogs
  6. charge — electricity
  7. bulb — of a plant
  8. cue — for pool
  9. charge — in control
  10. dip — a sauce
  11. charge — a price
  12. capital — a city
  13. bulb — for light
  14. pound — to hit hard
  15. straw — dry grass
  16. cue — a signal
  17. capital — money
  18. pound — a weight
  19. bulb — for light
  20. straw — to clutch at straws
  21. tear — from crying
  22. capital — a big letter
  23. dip — to sink
  24. tear — to rip

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