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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. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  2. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  3. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  4. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  5. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  6. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  7. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  8. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  9. Did you ________________ the meat?
  10. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  11. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  12. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  13. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  14. We're on a ________________ here.
  15. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  16. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  17. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  18. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  19. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  20. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  21. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  22. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  23. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  24. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — to dunk
  2. net — in sport
  3. season — of the year
  4. roll — a cake
  5. safe — a strongbox
  6. net — for catching
  7. trunk — of an elephant
  8. net — after costs
  9. season — to add flavour
  10. safe — out of danger
  11. snap — to click
  12. trunk — of a tree
  13. pound — a weight
  14. roll — on a roll
  15. snap — to snap out of it
  16. dip — a sauce
  17. trunk — of a car
  18. pound — to hit hard
  19. snap — to speak sharply
  20. safe — out of danger
  21. dip — to sink
  22. pound — for dogs
  23. roll — a list
  24. season — in sport

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