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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 120 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 don't need to ________________ round.
  2. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  3. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  4. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  5. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  6. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  7. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  8. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  9. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  10. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  11. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  12. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  13. We're almost out of ________________.
  14. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  15. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  16. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  17. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  18. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  19. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  20. That must've been a ________________.
  21. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  22. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  23. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  24. There's no middle ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — to visit
  2. rush — to hurry
  3. pit — a hole
  4. kid — child
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. drill — army training
  7. lie — to recline
  8. rush — hurry
  9. kid — to tease
  10. dip — a sauce
  11. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  12. drill — a practice
  13. pop — soda
  14. pop — music
  15. ground — crushed
  16. dip — to sink
  17. pit — a fruit stone
  18. ground — the earth
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. rush — a thrill
  21. drill — the tool
  22. pit — in a race
  23. dip — to dunk
  24. ground — a position

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