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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. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  2. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  3. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  4. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  5. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  6. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  7. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  8. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  9. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  10. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  11. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  12. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  13. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  14. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  15. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  16. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  17. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  18. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  19. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  20. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  21. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  22. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  23. That must've been a ________________.
  24. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — to hurry
  2. dip — to sink
  3. pass — to spend time
  4. dip — to dunk
  5. squash — the sport
  6. jam — to spread on bread
  7. squash — to crush
  8. jam — a tight spot
  9. dip — a sauce
  10. bat — in an idiom
  11. bat — the animal
  12. pass — a permit
  13. fine — all right
  14. race — the arms race
  15. fine — high quality
  16. bat — for baseball
  17. rush — hurry
  18. pass — to succeed
  19. squash — the vegetable
  20. race — humankind
  21. race — a contest
  22. fine — a penalty
  23. rush — a thrill
  24. jam — in traffic

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