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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. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  2. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  3. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  4. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  5. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  6. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  7. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  8. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  9. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  10. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  11. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  12. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  13. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  14. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  15. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  16. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  17. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  18. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  19. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  20. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  21. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  22. The ________________ took off on time.
  23. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  24. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — to sink
  2. deal — an agreement
  3. hand — help
  4. snap — to click
  5. squash — the sport
  6. plane — in geometry
  7. dip — to dunk
  8. tear — from crying
  9. dip — a sauce
  10. plane — a tool
  11. rest — what's left
  12. hand — in cards
  13. squash — the vegetable
  14. deal — a big deal
  15. squash — to crush
  16. tear — to rip
  17. tear — from crying
  18. rest — what's left
  19. deal — to handle
  20. rest — a break
  21. snap — to snap out of it
  22. plane — an aircraft
  23. hand — part of the body
  24. snap — to speak sharply

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