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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. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  2. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  3. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  4. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  5. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  6. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  7. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  8. The water is too ________________.
  9. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  10. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  11. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  12. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  13. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  14. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  15. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  16. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  17. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  18. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  19. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  20. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  21. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  22. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  23. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  24. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — to sink
  2. bear — the animal
  3. lash — to lash out
  4. object — to protest
  5. pass — a permit
  6. pass — to succeed
  7. dip — a sauce
  8. cold — not warm
  9. row — a line
  10. lash — a whip stroke
  11. row — to paddle
  12. lash — an eyelash
  13. object — a thing
  14. dip — to dunk
  15. net — in sport
  16. row — a quarrel
  17. object — an aim
  18. pass — to spend time
  19. net — after costs
  20. bear — to put up with
  21. net — for catching
  22. bear — the animal
  23. cold — the Cold War
  24. cold — an illness

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