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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. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  2. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  3. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  4. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  5. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  6. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  7. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  8. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  9. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  10. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  11. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  12. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  13. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  14. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  15. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  16. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  17. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  18. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  19. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  20. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  21. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  22. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  23. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  24. I got dealt a bad ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — to dunk
  2. wind — moving air
  3. net — in sport
  4. hand — help
  5. staff — employees
  6. rule — government
  7. wind — moving air
  8. pound — for dogs
  9. snap — to snap out of it
  10. dip — a sauce
  11. net — after costs
  12. staff — a stick
  13. rule — a law
  14. pound — to hit hard
  15. dip — to sink
  16. net — for catching
  17. wind — to turn a key
  18. pound — a weight
  19. staff — employees
  20. snap — to speak sharply
  21. hand — part of the body
  22. snap — to click
  23. rule — to rule out
  24. hand — in cards

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