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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. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  2. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  3. We're on a ________________ here.
  4. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  5. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  6. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  7. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  8. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  9. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  10. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  11. Don't do anything ________________.
  12. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  13. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  14. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  15. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  16. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  17. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  18. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  19. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  20. I can't ________________ this cold.
  21. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  22. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  23. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  24. He was locked up in a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — a stone
  2. dip — a sauce
  3. roll — on a roll
  4. roll — a cake
  5. roll — a list
  6. rash — a series
  7. dip — to sink
  8. rash — on the skin
  9. snap — to click
  10. snap — to speak sharply
  11. rash — hasty
  12. cell — a phone
  13. chest — a box
  14. rock — to move gently
  15. rock — music
  16. chest — of your body
  17. stand — on your feet
  18. cell — in biology
  19. chest — of your body
  20. stand — to bear
  21. snap — to snap out of it
  22. dip — to dunk
  23. stand — for spectators
  24. cell — in a prison

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