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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. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  2. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  3. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  4. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  5. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  6. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  7. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  8. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  9. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  10. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  11. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  12. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  13. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  14. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  15. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  16. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  17. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  18. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  19. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  20. That must've been a ________________.
  21. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  22. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  23. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  24. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — hurry
  2. snap — to speak sharply
  3. bore — to drill
  4. bore — gave birth
  5. toast — the most admired
  6. dip — to dunk
  7. snap — to click
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. lie — to recline
  10. snap — to snap out of it
  11. bore — to tire
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. stick — to attach or keep to
  14. perch — the fish
  15. dip — a sauce
  16. toast — a drink to someone
  17. dip — to sink
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. rush — to hurry
  20. rush — a thrill
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. toast — bread
  23. lie — an untruth
  24. perch — for a bird

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