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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 have to ________________ at me like that.
  2. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  3. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  4. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  5. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  6. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  7. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  8. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  9. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  10. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  11. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  12. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  13. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  14. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  15. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  16. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  17. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  18. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  19. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  20. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  21. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  22. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  23. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  24. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to speak sharply
  2. patient — calm and waiting
  3. dip — a sauce
  4. rule — government
  5. mouse — for a computer
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. kid — child
  8. snap — to click
  9. wake — before a funeral
  10. fork — to eat with
  11. rule — a law
  12. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  13. rule — to rule out
  14. mouse — the animal
  15. dip — to sink
  16. dip — to dunk
  17. wake — to stop sleeping
  18. kid — to tease
  19. mouse — the animal
  20. fork — in a road
  21. snap — to snap out of it
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. wake — a trail
  24. fork — a garden tool

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