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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 120 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. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  3. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  4. How do you ________________ your surname?
  5. When are we going to ________________?
  6. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  7. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  8. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  9. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  10. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  11. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  12. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  13. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  14. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  15. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  16. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  17. That must've been a ________________.
  18. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  19. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  20. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  21. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  22. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  23. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  24. You can't go backstage without a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — a sauce
  2. dip — to dunk
  3. mouse — the animal
  4. spell — letters
  5. land — to come down
  6. pass — to spend time
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. spell — magic
  9. mark — to pay attention
  10. land — ground
  11. rush — hurry
  12. rush — to hurry
  13. mark — a trace
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. mark — a grade
  16. pass — to succeed
  17. rush — a thrill
  18. spell — a short time
  19. dip — to sink
  20. mouse — for a computer
  21. land — a country
  22. perch — the fish
  23. mouse — the animal
  24. pass — a permit

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