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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. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  2. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  3. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  4. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  5. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  6. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  7. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  8. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  9. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  10. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  11. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  12. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  13. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  14. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  15. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  16. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  17. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  18. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  19. Don't do anything ________________.
  20. It's one o'clock ________________.
  21. How do you ________________ your surname?
  22. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  23. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  24. He's quite ________________, isn't he?

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

Answer key

  1. bear — the animal
  2. rash — a series
  3. dip — to sink
  4. squash — to crush
  5. fall — the season
  6. fall — to drop
  7. rash — on the skin
  8. dip — a sauce
  9. sharp — with an edge
  10. bear — to put up with
  11. spell — magic
  12. dip — to dunk
  13. squash — the sport
  14. fall — to drop
  15. net — for catching
  16. squash — the vegetable
  17. bear — the animal
  18. spell — a short time
  19. rash — hasty
  20. sharp — exactly
  21. spell — letters
  22. net — after costs
  23. net — in sport
  24. sharp — clever

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