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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. When was this ________________ built?
  3. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  4. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  5. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  6. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  7. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  8. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  9. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  10. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  11. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  12. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  13. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  14. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  15. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  16. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  17. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  18. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  19. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  20. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  21. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  22. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  23. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  24. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — to sink
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. snap — to speak sharply
  4. fan — to cool the air
  5. wind — moving air
  6. deal — to handle
  7. wind — moving air
  8. dip — to dunk
  9. deal — an agreement
  10. calf — of the leg
  11. wind — to turn a key
  12. snap — to click
  13. snap — to snap out of it
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. dip — a sauce
  17. temple — a place of worship
  18. file — a document
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. file — a tool
  22. deal — a big deal
  23. temple — side of the head
  24. file — a line of people

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