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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. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  2. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  3. Don't do anything ________________.
  4. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  5. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  6. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  7. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  8. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  9. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  10. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  11. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  12. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  13. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  14. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  15. When are we going to ________________?
  16. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  17. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  18. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — a thrill
  2. pass — a permit
  3. rash — hasty
  4. dip — a sauce
  5. land — ground
  6. pass — to succeed
  7. dip — to dunk
  8. deal — an agreement
  9. kick — in football
  10. dip — to sink
  11. kick — with a leg
  12. deal — to handle
  13. rash — a series
  14. deal — a big deal
  15. land — to come down
  16. pass — to spend time
  17. rash — on the skin
  18. land — a country

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