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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. That must've been a ________________.
  2. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  3. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  4. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  5. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  6. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  7. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  8. We're almost out of ________________.
  9. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  10. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  11. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  12. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  13. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  14. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  15. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  16. How do you ________________ your surname?
  17. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  18. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  19. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  20. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  21. The ________________ market has crashed.
  22. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  23. You don't need to ________________ round.
  24. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — a thrill
  2. dip — a sauce
  3. shower — to wash
  4. dip — to dunk
  5. lash — to lash out
  6. spell — magic
  7. stock — a soup base
  8. pop — soda
  9. shower — a meteor shower
  10. file — a document
  11. pop — music
  12. rush — to hurry
  13. lash — an eyelash
  14. stock — goods
  15. spell — a short time
  16. spell — letters
  17. file — a tool
  18. lash — a whip stroke
  19. rush — hurry
  20. file — a line of people
  21. stock — shares
  22. shower — rain
  23. pop — to visit
  24. dip — to sink

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