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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. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  3. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  4. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  5. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  6. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  7. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  8. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  9. That must've been a ________________.
  10. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  11. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  12. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  13. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  14. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  15. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  16. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  17. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  18. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  19. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  20. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  21. The ________________ went through the wall.
  22. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  23. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  24. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — to dunk
  2. rush — hurry
  3. leaves — of a tree
  4. drill — a practice
  5. leaves — lets stay
  6. deal — a big deal
  7. dip — to sink
  8. deal — an agreement
  9. rush — a thrill
  10. rush — to hurry
  11. kick — in football
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. nail — on a finger
  14. leaves — to go away
  15. drill — the tool
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. kick — a thrill
  18. kick — with a leg
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. drill — army training
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. dip — a sauce
  23. deal — to handle
  24. lie — to recline

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