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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 like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  2. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  3. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  4. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  5. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  6. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  7. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  8. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  9. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  10. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  11. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  12. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  13. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  14. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  15. The King held a masked ________________.
  16. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  17. What do you think of the new ________________?
  18. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  19. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  20. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  21. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  22. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  23. David sat on the ________________.
  24. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — to dunk
  2. ball — a round shape
  3. rest — what's left
  4. swing — in golf
  5. dip — a sauce
  6. rest — a break
  7. wind — moving air
  8. wind — to turn a key
  9. hand — part of the body
  10. hand — in cards
  11. hand — help
  12. snap — to speak sharply
  13. dip — to sink
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. ball — a dance
  16. swing — music
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. snap — to click
  19. wind — moving air
  20. ball — a great time
  21. cabinet — a cupboard
  22. rest — what's left
  23. swing — to play on
  24. snap — to snap out of it

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