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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.

Make a worksheet

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. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  2. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  3. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  4. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  5. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  6. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  7. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  8. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  9. There's no middle ________________.
  10. That must've been a ________________.
  11. How do you ________________ your surname?
  12. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  13. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  14. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  15. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  16. The tickets are free of ________________.
  17. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  18. Add some ________________ pepper to it.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — to hurry
  2. spell — a short time
  3. dip — a sauce
  4. straw — to clutch at straws
  5. spell — magic
  6. straw — a straw man
  7. charge — in control
  8. rush — hurry
  9. ground — a position
  10. rush — a thrill
  11. spell — letters
  12. dip — to dunk
  13. straw — dry grass
  14. ground — the earth
  15. charge — electricity
  16. charge — a price
  17. dip — to sink
  18. ground — crushed

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