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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 got dealt a bad ________________.
  2. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  3. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  4. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  5. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  6. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  7. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  8. How do you ________________ your surname?
  9. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  10. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  11. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  12. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  13. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  14. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  15. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  16. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  17. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  18. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  19. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  20. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  21. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  22. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  23. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  24. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — in cards
  2. pass — to spend time
  3. hand — help
  4. squash — the sport
  5. spell — a short time
  6. chest — of your body
  7. pass — to succeed
  8. spell — letters
  9. squash — to crush
  10. pound — a weight
  11. chest — of your body
  12. dip — a sauce
  13. spell — magic
  14. chest — a box
  15. pound — for dogs
  16. squash — the vegetable
  17. dip — to dunk
  18. wind — moving air
  19. pound — to hit hard
  20. pass — a permit
  21. hand — part of the body
  22. wind — to turn a key
  23. dip — to sink
  24. wind — moving air

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