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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. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  2. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  3. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  4. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  5. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  6. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  7. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  8. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  9. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  10. Don't do anything ________________.
  11. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  12. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  13. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  14. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  15. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  16. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  17. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  18. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  19. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  20. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  21. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  22. I'll be taking the ________________.
  23. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  24. When will it ________________ you to start?

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

Answer key

  1. object — to protest
  2. dip — to dunk
  3. object — a thing
  4. hand — part of the body
  5. wave — with your hand
  6. tube — in a tire
  7. object — an aim
  8. rash — a series
  9. hand — help
  10. rash — hasty
  11. rash — on the skin
  12. wave — a sudden rise
  13. chair — a professorship
  14. suit — clothes
  15. suit — in cards
  16. dip — a sauce
  17. tube — a container
  18. chair — to sit on
  19. dip — to sink
  20. hand — in cards
  21. wave — of the sea
  22. tube — the underground
  23. chair — a leader
  24. suit — to fit

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