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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. Don't do anything ________________.
  2. The ball is in your ________________.
  3. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  4. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  5. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  6. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  7. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  8. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  9. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  10. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  11. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  12. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  13. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  14. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  15. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  16. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  17. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  18. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  19. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  20. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  21. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  22. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  23. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  24. He's taking a ________________ right now.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — hasty
  2. court — for sport
  3. dip — a sauce
  4. court — of a king
  5. wave — of the sea
  6. shower — rain
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. snap — to speak sharply
  9. face — to confront
  10. dip — to sink
  11. snap — to snap out of it
  12. rash — on the skin
  13. face — to point toward
  14. shower — a meteor shower
  15. rash — a series
  16. snap — to click
  17. dip — to dunk
  18. wave — with your hand
  19. hide — animal skin
  20. court — of law
  21. wave — a sudden rise
  22. face — part of the head
  23. hide — to keep secret
  24. shower — to wash

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