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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. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  2. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  3. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  4. Don't do anything ________________.
  5. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  6. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  7. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  8. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  9. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  10. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  11. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  12. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  13. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  14. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  15. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  16. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  17. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  18. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  19. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  20. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  21. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  22. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  23. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  24. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — to dunk
  2. fine — all right
  3. shower — rain
  4. rash — hasty
  5. field — farmland
  6. mouse — for a computer
  7. dip — to sink
  8. mouse — the animal
  9. fine — high quality
  10. cap — a lid
  11. shower — a meteor shower
  12. field — a subject
  13. field — for sport
  14. shower — to wash
  15. rash — on the skin
  16. dip — a sauce
  17. rash — a series
  18. mouse — the animal
  19. lash — a whip stroke
  20. lash — to lash out
  21. fine — a penalty
  22. cap — of ice
  23. lash — an eyelash
  24. cap — a hat

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