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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 got dealt a bad ________________.
  3. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  4. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  5. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  6. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  7. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  8. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  9. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  10. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  11. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  12. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  13. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  14. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  15. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  16. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  17. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  18. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  19. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  20. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  21. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  22. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  23. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  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. dip — to dunk
  2. hand — in cards
  3. firm — decided
  4. firm — a company
  5. firm — steady
  6. wave — with your hand
  7. dip — to sink
  8. chest — of your body
  9. mouse — the animal
  10. hand — part of the body
  11. net — for catching
  12. tear — from crying
  13. mouse — for a computer
  14. tear — to rip
  15. chest — a box
  16. net — after costs
  17. net — in sport
  18. wave — of the sea
  19. hand — help
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. tear — from crying
  22. chest — of your body
  23. wave — a sudden rise
  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