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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. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  2. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  3. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  4. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  5. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  6. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  7. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  8. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  9. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  10. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  11. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  12. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  13. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  14. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  15. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  16. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  17. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  18. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  19. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  20. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  21. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  22. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  23. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  24. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — to pay attention
  2. dip — a sauce
  3. wave — a sudden rise
  4. wave — with your hand
  5. chest — of your body
  6. cap — of ice
  7. chest — of your body
  8. file — a document
  9. cap — a lid
  10. cue — a signal
  11. dip — to dunk
  12. wave — of the sea
  13. hand — part of the body
  14. mark — a grade
  15. dip — to sink
  16. cue — for pool
  17. chest — a box
  18. mark — a trace
  19. cue — a hint
  20. hand — help
  21. file — a tool
  22. hand — in cards
  23. file — a line of people
  24. cap — a hat

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