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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 116 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. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  3. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  4. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  5. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  6. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  7. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  8. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  9. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  10. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  11. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  12. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  13. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  14. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  15. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  16. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  17. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  18. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  19. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  20. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  21. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  22. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  23. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  24. There's a computer ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — to sink
  2. snap — to snap out of it
  3. wound — an injury
  4. kid — child
  5. march — music
  6. wound — an injury
  7. kid — to tease
  8. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  9. dip — a sauce
  10. chip — to eat
  11. pass — to succeed
  12. snap — to click
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. dip — to dunk
  15. pass — a permit
  16. wound — past of 'wind'
  17. snap — to speak sharply
  18. pass — to spend time
  19. chip — for betting
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. march — the month
  22. march — the month
  23. lie — to recline
  24. chip — in a computer

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