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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. Don't do anything ________________.
  2. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  3. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  4. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  5. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  6. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  7. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  8. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  9. The ________________ market has crashed.
  10. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  11. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  12. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  13. Have you met the new head ________________?
  14. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  15. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  16. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  17. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  18. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  19. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  20. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  21. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  22. How do you ________________ your surname?
  23. Where did you ________________ them?
  24. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — hasty
  2. dip — a sauce
  3. rash — a series
  4. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  5. mug — a face
  6. wind — moving air
  7. kid — child
  8. spell — magic
  9. stock — shares
  10. wind — moving air
  11. stock — a soup base
  12. rash — on the skin
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. wind — to turn a key
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. kid — to tease
  17. dip — to sink
  18. spell — a short time
  19. mug — a cup
  20. stock — goods
  21. coach — pulled by horses
  22. spell — letters
  23. mug — to rob
  24. dip — to dunk

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