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

Word bank: row · mate · dip · kick · straw · plane · cap · pit

  1. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  2. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  3. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  4. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  5. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  6. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  7. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  8. The ________________ took off on time.
  9. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  10. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  11. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  12. Have you found your soul ________________?
  13. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  14. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  15. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  16. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  17. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  18. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  19. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  20. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  21. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  22. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  23. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  24. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — to dunk
  2. cap — a hat
  3. pit — a fruit stone
  4. row — to paddle
  5. straw — dry grass
  6. mate — a friend
  7. mate — to breed
  8. plane — an aircraft
  9. pit — a hole
  10. cap — of ice
  11. kick — in football
  12. mate — a partner
  13. cap — a lid
  14. straw — to clutch at straws
  15. plane — a tool
  16. dip — a sauce
  17. row — a line
  18. kick — with a leg
  19. straw — a straw man
  20. row — a quarrel
  21. pit — in a race
  22. kick — a thrill
  23. plane — in geometry
  24. dip — to sink

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