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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 116 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. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  2. Have you found your soul ________________?
  3. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  4. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  5. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  6. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  7. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  8. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  9. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  10. Where did you ________________ them?
  11. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  12. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  13. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  14. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  15. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  16. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  17. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  18. 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. deal — to handle
  2. mate — a partner
  3. snap — to snap out of it
  4. kid — to tease
  5. snap — to click
  6. mug — a cup
  7. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  8. snap — to speak sharply
  9. dip — to dunk
  10. mug — to rob
  11. deal — a big deal
  12. mate — a friend
  13. kid — child
  14. mate — to breed
  15. mug — a face
  16. dip — a sauce
  17. deal — an agreement
  18. 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