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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. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  2. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  3. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  4. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  5. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  6. How do you ________________ your surname?
  7. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  8. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  9. What do you think of the new ________________?
  10. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  11. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  12. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  13. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  14. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  15. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  16. He was locked up in a ________________.
  17. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  18. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  19. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  20. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  21. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  22. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  23. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  24. That must've been a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — a short time
  2. cell — a phone
  3. dip — a sauce
  4. shower — rain
  5. cell — in biology
  6. spell — letters
  7. dip — to dunk
  8. rush — to hurry
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. rush — hurry
  12. dip — to sink
  13. cabinet — a cupboard
  14. toast — bread
  15. shower — to wash
  16. cell — in a prison
  17. lash — to lash out
  18. shower — a meteor shower
  19. spell — magic
  20. toast — the most admired
  21. lash — an eyelash
  22. toast — a drink to someone
  23. lash — a whip stroke
  24. rush — a thrill

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