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

  1. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  2. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  3. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  4. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  5. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  6. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  7. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  8. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  9. How do you ________________ your surname?
  10. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  11. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  12. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  13. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  14. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  15. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  16. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  17. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  18. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — to dunk
  2. spell — a short time
  3. spell — magic
  4. rule — a law
  5. wave — a sudden rise
  6. leaves — lets stay
  7. wave — of the sea
  8. bat — for baseball
  9. spell — letters
  10. dip — a sauce
  11. rule — government
  12. dip — to sink
  13. leaves — of a tree
  14. wave — with your hand
  15. leaves — to go away
  16. bat — the animal
  17. rule — to rule out
  18. bat — in an idiom

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