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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. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  2. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  3. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  4. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  5. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  6. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  7. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  8. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  9. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  10. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  11. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  12. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  13. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  14. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  15. Don't do anything ________________.
  16. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  17. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  18. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  19. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  20. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  21. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  22. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  23. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  24. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — to dunk
  2. shower — rain
  3. wave — a sudden rise
  4. cap — of ice
  5. hand — help
  6. dip — to sink
  7. net — for catching
  8. net — in sport
  9. wave — with your hand
  10. cap — a hat
  11. rash — a series
  12. dip — a sauce
  13. present — there
  14. net — after costs
  15. rash — hasty
  16. hand — in cards
  17. cap — a lid
  18. rash — on the skin
  19. hand — part of the body
  20. shower — a meteor shower
  21. wave — of the sea
  22. present — a gift
  23. shower — to wash
  24. present — the time now

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