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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. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  3. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  4. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  5. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  6. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  7. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  8. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  9. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  10. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  11. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  12. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  13. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  14. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  15. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  16. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  17. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  18. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  19. That must've been a ________________.
  20. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  21. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  22. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  23. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  24. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — to dunk
  2. spring — a coil
  3. deal — an agreement
  4. dip — a sauce
  5. hand — help
  6. tear — from crying
  7. rush — hurry
  8. spring — the season
  9. firm — a company
  10. rule — to rule out
  11. rush — to hurry
  12. firm — decided
  13. hand — in cards
  14. spring — of water
  15. dip — to sink
  16. tear — to rip
  17. tear — from crying
  18. rule — a law
  19. rush — a thrill
  20. deal — to handle
  21. rule — government
  22. firm — steady
  23. deal — a big deal
  24. hand — part of the body

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