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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 had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  3. There's no middle ________________.
  4. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  5. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  6. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  7. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  8. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  9. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  10. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  11. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  12. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  13. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  14. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  15. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  16. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  17. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  18. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  19. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  20. That must've been a ________________.
  21. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  22. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  23. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  24. Add some ________________ pepper to it.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — to dunk
  2. kid — child
  3. ground — a position
  4. chest — of your body
  5. mouse — for a computer
  6. dip — a sauce
  7. pitch — completely
  8. pass — a permit
  9. pitch — a sales talk
  10. mouse — the animal
  11. dip — to sink
  12. ground — the earth
  13. rush — hurry
  14. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  15. pitch — a sports field
  16. mouse — the animal
  17. pass — to succeed
  18. chest — a box
  19. rush — to hurry
  20. rush — a thrill
  21. pass — to spend time
  22. chest — of your body
  23. kid — to tease
  24. ground — crushed

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