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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: mate · bat · kid · last · rush · dip · bay · bank

  1. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  2. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  3. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  4. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  5. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  6. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  7. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  8. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  9. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  10. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  11. False peace will not ________________.
  12. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  13. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  14. Have you found your soul ________________?
  15. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  16. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  17. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  18. My mare is ________________ in color.
  19. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  20. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  21. That must've been a ________________.
  22. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  23. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  24. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!

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

Answer key

  1. rush — to hurry
  2. dip — a sauce
  3. kid — to tease
  4. bank — for money
  5. bay — a part of the sea
  6. last — finally
  7. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  8. kid — child
  9. bat — the animal
  10. rush — hurry
  11. last — to go on
  12. dip — to sink
  13. bat — in an idiom
  14. mate — a partner
  15. mate — a friend
  16. mate — to breed
  17. bat — for baseball
  18. bay — a horse colour
  19. bay — to keep at bay
  20. bank — of a river
  21. rush — a thrill
  22. bank — for money
  23. dip — to dunk
  24. last — final

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