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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 am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  2. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  3. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  4. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  5. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  6. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  7. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  8. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  9. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  10. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  11. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  12. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  13. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  14. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  15. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  16. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  17. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  18. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  19. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  20. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  21. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  22. I'll be taking the ________________.
  23. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  24. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — a sudden rise
  2. squash — the vegetable
  3. cap — of ice
  4. cap — a hat
  5. kid — to tease
  6. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  7. wave — with your hand
  8. wave — of the sea
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. hand — in cards
  11. lie — to recline
  12. hand — help
  13. dip — a sauce
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. dip — to dunk
  16. kid — child
  17. hand — part of the body
  18. squash — the sport
  19. dip — to sink
  20. cap — a lid
  21. tube — in a tire
  22. tube — the underground
  23. tube — a container
  24. squash — to crush

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