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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. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  2. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  3. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  4. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  5. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  6. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  7. False peace will not ________________.
  8. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  9. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  10. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  11. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  12. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  13. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  14. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  15. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  16. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  17. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  18. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  19. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  20. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  21. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  22. Where did you ________________ them?
  23. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  24. At ________________, we arrived at the village.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — a thrill
  2. dip — to sink
  3. present — a gift
  4. kick — in football
  5. mug — a face
  6. prune — the fruit
  7. last — to go on
  8. pit — in a race
  9. mug — a cup
  10. fall — to drop
  11. last — final
  12. kick — with a leg
  13. present — there
  14. fall — to drop
  15. dip — a sauce
  16. pit — a hole
  17. dip — to dunk
  18. prune — to trim
  19. prune — to trim
  20. present — the time now
  21. fall — the season
  22. mug — to rob
  23. pit — a fruit stone
  24. last — finally

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