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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 120 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. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  3. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  4. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  5. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  6. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  7. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  8. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  9. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  10. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  11. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  12. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  13. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  14. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  15. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  16. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  17. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  18. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  19. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  20. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  21. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  22. That was a fun ________________.
  23. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  24. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — a sauce
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. snap — to speak sharply
  4. wave — a sudden rise
  5. rock — to move gently
  6. rock — a stone
  7. rock — music
  8. hand — help
  9. hand — part of the body
  10. dip — to sink
  11. wave — of the sea
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. patient — calm and waiting
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. game — wild animals
  16. snap — to click
  17. dip — to dunk
  18. game — a kind of play
  19. snap — to snap out of it
  20. lie — to recline
  21. hand — in cards
  22. game — a match
  23. wave — with your hand
  24. lie — an untruth

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