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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 120 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. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  2. The water is too ________________.
  3. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  4. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  5. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  6. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  7. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  8. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  9. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  10. The tickets are free of ________________.
  11. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  12. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  13. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  14. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  15. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  16. Don't do anything ________________.
  17. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  18. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  19. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  20. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  21. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  22. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  23. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  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. dip — a sauce
  2. cold — not warm
  3. bear — the animal
  4. mark — a trace
  5. charge — electricity
  6. bear — the animal
  7. squash — the sport
  8. cold — an illness
  9. mark — to pay attention
  10. charge — a price
  11. mark — a grade
  12. squash — the vegetable
  13. rash — a series
  14. rash — on the skin
  15. squash — to crush
  16. rash — hasty
  17. deal — to handle
  18. deal — an agreement
  19. cold — the Cold War
  20. charge — in control
  21. bear — to put up with
  22. deal — a big deal
  23. dip — to sink
  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