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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. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  2. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  3. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  4. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  5. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  6. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  7. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  8. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  9. My mare is ________________ in color.
  10. That must've been a ________________.
  11. He is an ace ________________.
  12. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  13. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  14. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  15. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  16. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  17. That was a fun ________________.
  18. Fill up this ________________ with water.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — hurry
  2. dip — to dunk
  3. deal — a big deal
  4. dip — a sauce
  5. rush — to hurry
  6. deal — to handle
  7. deal — an agreement
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. bay — a horse colour
  10. rush — a thrill
  11. pitcher — in baseball
  12. dip — to sink
  13. game — wild animals
  14. bay — a part of the sea
  15. bay — to keep at bay
  16. game — a kind of play
  17. game — a match
  18. pitcher — a jug

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