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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. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  3. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  4. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  5. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  6. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  7. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  8. He was locked up in a ________________.
  9. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  10. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  11. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  12. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  13. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  14. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  15. That must've been a ________________.
  16. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  17. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  18. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  19. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  20. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  21. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  22. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  23. Have you settled on a ________________?
  24. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — to sink
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. rush — hurry
  4. date — the fruit
  5. squash — the sport
  6. rush — to hurry
  7. squash — to crush
  8. cell — in a prison
  9. cell — in biology
  10. dip — to dunk
  11. row — to paddle
  12. date — on the calendar
  13. lash — an eyelash
  14. fan — to cool the air
  15. rush — a thrill
  16. squash — the vegetable
  17. row — a quarrel
  18. dip — a sauce
  19. cell — a phone
  20. row — a line
  21. lash — a whip stroke
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. date — on the calendar
  24. lash — to lash out

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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