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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 116 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. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  2. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  3. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  4. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  5. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  6. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  7. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  8. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  9. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  10. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  11. How do you ________________ your surname?
  12. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  13. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  14. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  15. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  16. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  17. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  18. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  19. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  20. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  21. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  22. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  23. Have you found your soul ________________?
  24. When are we going to ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. dip — a sauce
  2. mate — a friend
  3. tear — from crying
  4. bear — to put up with
  5. snap — to speak sharply
  6. cue — for pool
  7. spell — magic
  8. dip — to sink
  9. bear — the animal
  10. cue — a hint
  11. spell — letters
  12. dip — to dunk
  13. bear — the animal
  14. snap — to snap out of it
  15. land — ground
  16. snap — to click
  17. land — a country
  18. mate — to breed
  19. spell — a short time
  20. tear — from crying
  21. cue — a signal
  22. tear — to rip
  23. mate — a partner
  24. land — to come down

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