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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. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  2. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  3. Don't do anything ________________.
  4. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  5. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  6. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  7. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  8. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  9. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  10. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  11. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  12. Have you found your soul ________________?
  13. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  14. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  15. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  16. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  17. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  18. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  19. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  20. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  21. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  22. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  23. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  24. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — a sauce
  2. jam — a tight spot
  3. rash — hasty
  4. wind — to turn a key
  5. mate — a friend
  6. can — a tin
  7. hand — in cards
  8. bowl — a dish
  9. can — to be able to
  10. bowl — to roll
  11. rash — a series
  12. mate — a partner
  13. can — a tin
  14. dip — to dunk
  15. jam — in traffic
  16. jam — to spread on bread
  17. hand — part of the body
  18. bowl — a football final
  19. rash — on the skin
  20. mate — to breed
  21. wind — moving air
  22. dip — to sink
  23. hand — help
  24. wind — moving air

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