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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. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  2. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  3. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  4. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  5. Have you settled on a ________________?
  6. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  7. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  8. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  9. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  10. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  11. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  12. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  13. Don't do anything ________________.
  14. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  15. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  16. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  17. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  18. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  19. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  20. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  21. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  22. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  23. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  24. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — to dunk
  2. hand — help
  3. date — on the calendar
  4. dip — to sink
  5. date — on the calendar
  6. current — happening now
  7. fall — to drop
  8. tear — from crying
  9. fall — to drop
  10. cue — for pool
  11. tear — to rip
  12. cue — a hint
  13. rash — hasty
  14. date — the fruit
  15. dip — a sauce
  16. current — of water
  17. hand — in cards
  18. current — electric
  19. tear — from crying
  20. rash — on the skin
  21. fall — the season
  22. hand — part of the body
  23. rash — a series
  24. cue — a signal

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