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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. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  2. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  3. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  4. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  5. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  6. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  7. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  8. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  9. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  10. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  11. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  12. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  13. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  14. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  15. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  16. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  17. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  18. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  19. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  20. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  21. That must've been a ________________.
  22. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  23. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  24. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — hurry
  2. kid — to tease
  3. wave — a sudden rise
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. kid — child
  6. rush — to hurry
  7. dip — to sink
  8. dip — to dunk
  9. lie — to recline
  10. dip — a sauce
  11. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  12. snap — to speak sharply
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. snap — to snap out of it
  15. fan — to cool the air
  16. wave — of the sea
  17. capital — a city
  18. snap — to click
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. capital — money
  21. rush — a thrill
  22. capital — a big letter
  23. lie — an untruth
  24. wave — with your hand

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