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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 had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  2. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  3. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  4. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  5. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  6. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  7. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  8. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  9. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  10. The water is too ________________.
  11. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  12. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  13. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  14. I'll be taking the ________________.
  15. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  16. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  17. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  18. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  19. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  20. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  21. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  22. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  23. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  24. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — an illness
  2. kick — in football
  3. dip — to dunk
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. stick — to attach or keep to
  6. tube — in a tire
  7. kick — with a leg
  8. bear — to put up with
  9. snap — to click
  10. cold — not warm
  11. bark — to shout
  12. bark — of a tree
  13. bark — a dog's sound
  14. tube — the underground
  15. snap — to speak sharply
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. kick — a thrill
  18. tube — a container
  19. dip — to sink
  20. bear — the animal
  21. dip — a sauce
  22. bear — the animal
  23. cold — the Cold War
  24. snap — to snap out of it

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