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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. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  2. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  3. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  4. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  5. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  6. We're on a ________________ here.
  7. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  8. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  9. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  10. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  11. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  12. Don't do anything ________________.
  13. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  14. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  15. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  16. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  17. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  18. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  19. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  20. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  21. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  22. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  23. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  24. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — a cake
  2. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  3. bear — the animal
  4. cap — a lid
  5. dip — to sink
  6. roll — on a roll
  7. rash — a series
  8. dip — a sauce
  9. bear — to put up with
  10. pass — a permit
  11. rash — on the skin
  12. rash — hasty
  13. wind — moving air
  14. pass — to spend time
  15. wind — to turn a key
  16. bear — the animal
  17. cap — a hat
  18. cap — of ice
  19. kid — to tease
  20. wind — moving air
  21. pass — to succeed
  22. dip — to dunk
  23. roll — a list
  24. kid — child

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