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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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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. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  2. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  3. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  4. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  5. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  6. That must've been a ________________.
  7. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  8. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  9. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  10. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  11. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  12. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  13. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  14. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  15. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  16. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  17. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  18. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  19. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  20. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  21. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  22. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  23. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  24. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — to hurry
  2. dip — to dunk
  3. drill — army training
  4. rock — to move gently
  5. rock — a stone
  6. rush — a thrill
  7. row — a line
  8. dip — a sauce
  9. hand — in cards
  10. hand — part of the body
  11. hand — help
  12. pass — to spend time
  13. staff — employees
  14. staff — a stick
  15. row — a quarrel
  16. staff — employees
  17. rock — music
  18. rush — hurry
  19. pass — to succeed
  20. pass — a permit
  21. drill — a practice
  22. drill — the tool
  23. row — to paddle
  24. dip — to sink

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