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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.

Words on the sheet
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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: roll · dip · rash · chair · present · pop · bat · tear

  1. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  2. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  3. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  4. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  5. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  6. Don't do anything ________________.
  7. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  8. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  9. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  10. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  11. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  12. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  13. We're on a ________________ here.
  14. We're almost out of ________________.
  15. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  16. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  17. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  18. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  19. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  20. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  21. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  22. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  23. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  24. You don't need to ________________ round.

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

Answer key

  1. present — a gift
  2. rash — a series
  3. pop — music
  4. tear — from crying
  5. roll — a list
  6. rash — hasty
  7. chair — a professorship
  8. tear — to rip
  9. roll — a cake
  10. bat — in an idiom
  11. dip — to sink
  12. bat — the animal
  13. roll — on a roll
  14. pop — soda
  15. bat — for baseball
  16. dip — a sauce
  17. chair — a leader
  18. chair — to sit on
  19. present — the time now
  20. tear — from crying
  21. present — there
  22. rash — on the skin
  23. dip — to dunk
  24. pop — to visit

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