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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 116 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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Word bank
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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. Where did you ________________ them?
  2. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  3. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  4. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  5. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  6. How do you ________________ your surname?
  7. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  8. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  9. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  10. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  11. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  12. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  13. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  14. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  15. That was ________________ to happen.
  16. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  17. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  18. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  19. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  20. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  21. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  22. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  23. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  24. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — to rob
  2. kick — a thrill
  3. snap — to snap out of it
  4. spell — magic
  5. dip — to dunk
  6. spell — letters
  7. dip — to sink
  8. snap — to click
  9. snap — to speak sharply
  10. spell — a short time
  11. bound — obliged
  12. dip — a sauce
  13. mug — a cup
  14. kick — in football
  15. bound — certain
  16. squash — to crush
  17. kick — with a leg
  18. bound — tied together
  19. squash — the vegetable
  20. mug — a face
  21. rule — government
  22. squash — the sport
  23. rule — to rule out
  24. rule — a law

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