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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. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  2. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  3. Don't do anything ________________.
  4. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  5. Have you settled on a ________________?
  6. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  7. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  8. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  9. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  10. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  11. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  12. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  13. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  14. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  15. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  16. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  17. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  18. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  19. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  20. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  21. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  22. The tickets are free of ________________.
  23. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  24. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — to tease
  2. bear — the animal
  3. rash — hasty
  4. dip — to dunk
  5. date — on the calendar
  6. rash — on the skin
  7. snap — to snap out of it
  8. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  9. leaves — of a tree
  10. snap — to click
  11. charge — in control
  12. leaves — to go away
  13. leaves — lets stay
  14. snap — to speak sharply
  15. kid — child
  16. date — the fruit
  17. charge — electricity
  18. date — on the calendar
  19. bear — to put up with
  20. bear — the animal
  21. dip — to sink
  22. charge — a price
  23. rash — a series
  24. dip — a sauce

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