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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'll take my ________________ from you.
  2. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  3. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  4. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  5. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  6. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  7. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  8. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  9. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  10. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  11. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  12. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  13. My mare is ________________ in color.
  14. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  15. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  16. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  17. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  18. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  19. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  20. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  21. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  22. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  23. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  24. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a hint
  2. dip — to dunk
  3. chest — of your body
  4. chest — of your body
  5. pound — for dogs
  6. chest — a box
  7. drill — the tool
  8. wave — with your hand
  9. pound — a weight
  10. dip — to sink
  11. trunk — of a car
  12. drill — a practice
  13. bay — a horse colour
  14. wave — a sudden rise
  15. bay — a part of the sea
  16. dip — a sauce
  17. bay — to keep at bay
  18. pound — to hit hard
  19. trunk — of an elephant
  20. cue — for pool
  21. drill — army training
  22. trunk — of a tree
  23. wave — of the sea
  24. cue — a signal

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