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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. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  2. Don't do anything ________________.
  3. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  4. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  5. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  6. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  7. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  8. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  9. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  10. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  11. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  12. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  13. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  14. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  15. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  16. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  17. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  18. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  19. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  20. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  21. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  22. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  23. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  24. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — in football
  2. rash — hasty
  3. firm — a company
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. file — a line of people
  6. firm — decided
  7. bore — to tire
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. firm — steady
  10. bore — to drill
  11. dip — a sauce
  12. rash — on the skin
  13. file — a tool
  14. rash — a series
  15. kick — a thrill
  16. file — a document
  17. kick — with a leg
  18. snap — to click
  19. snap — to speak sharply
  20. dip — to sink
  21. snap — to snap out of it
  22. bore — gave birth
  23. hide — animal skin
  24. dip — to dunk

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