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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. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  2. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  3. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  4. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  5. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  6. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  7. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  8. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  9. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  10. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  11. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  12. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  13. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  14. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  15. What do you think of the new ________________?
  16. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  17. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  18. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  19. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  20. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  21. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  22. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  23. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  24. This looks like a gunshot ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to snap out of it
  2. dip — to sink
  3. dip — to dunk
  4. row — a line
  5. rest — what's left
  6. rest — a break
  7. snap — to click
  8. field — for sport
  9. lie — to recline
  10. wound — past of 'wind'
  11. row — to paddle
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. field — farmland
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. rest — what's left
  17. cabinet — a cupboard
  18. snap — to speak sharply
  19. row — a quarrel
  20. dip — a sauce
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. wound — an injury
  23. field — a subject
  24. wound — an injury

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