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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. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  2. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  3. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  4. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  5. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  6. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  7. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  8. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  9. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  10. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  11. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  12. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  13. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  14. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  15. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  16. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  17. That must've been a ________________.
  18. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  19. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  20. When are we going to ________________?
  21. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  22. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  23. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  24. Don't do anything ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — the animal
  2. dip — to dunk
  3. kid — child
  4. land — a country
  5. snap — to speak sharply
  6. rush — to hurry
  7. bear — to put up with
  8. dip — to sink
  9. land — ground
  10. kid — to tease
  11. snap — to click
  12. rush — hurry
  13. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  14. scale — in music
  15. rash — a series
  16. rash — on the skin
  17. rush — a thrill
  18. scale — for weighing
  19. bear — the animal
  20. land — to come down
  21. dip — a sauce
  22. snap — to snap out of it
  23. scale — size or range
  24. rash — hasty

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