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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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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: stick · dip · fine · lie · bat · rule · rush · pop

  1. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  2. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  3. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  4. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  5. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  6. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  7. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  8. That must've been a ________________.
  9. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  10. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  11. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  12. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  13. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  14. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  15. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  16. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  17. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  18. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  19. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  20. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  21. You don't need to ________________ round.
  22. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  23. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  24. We're almost out of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — music
  2. rule — to rule out
  3. rush — hurry
  4. dip — a sauce
  5. dip — to sink
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. fine — high quality
  8. rush — a thrill
  9. lie — to recline
  10. fine — a penalty
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. stick — to attach or keep to
  13. bat — in an idiom
  14. rule — a law
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. rush — to hurry
  17. bat — for baseball
  18. rule — government
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. dip — to dunk
  21. pop — to visit
  22. fine — all right
  23. bat — the animal
  24. pop — soda

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