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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. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  2. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  3. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  4. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  5. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  6. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  7. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  8. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  9. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  10. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  11. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  12. That must've been a ________________.
  13. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  14. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  15. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  16. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  17. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  18. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  19. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  20. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  21. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  22. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  23. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  24. We have nothing to ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — hurry
  2. dip — a sauce
  3. present — a gift
  4. dip — to dunk
  5. present — the time now
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. hide — animal skin
  8. fall — to drop
  9. rush — to hurry
  10. drill — army training
  11. kid — child
  12. rush — a thrill
  13. drill — the tool
  14. bass — the fish
  15. fall — to drop
  16. drill — a practice
  17. bass — the instrument
  18. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  19. kid — to tease
  20. fall — the season
  21. present — there
  22. dip — to sink
  23. bass — low music
  24. hide — to keep secret

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