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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 like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  2. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  3. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  4. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  5. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  6. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  7. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  8. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  9. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  10. The water is too ________________.
  11. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  12. We're on a ________________ here.
  13. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  14. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  15. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  16. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  17. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  18. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  19. The ________________ took off on time.
  20. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  21. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  22. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  23. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  24. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — to dunk
  2. pit — in a race
  3. prune — to trim
  4. pit — a hole
  5. lean — thin
  6. lean — to bend
  7. plane — in geometry
  8. roll — a list
  9. cold — an illness
  10. cold — not warm
  11. dip — to sink
  12. roll — on a roll
  13. leaves — to go away
  14. roll — a cake
  15. lean — to rest against
  16. prune — to trim
  17. cold — the Cold War
  18. prune — the fruit
  19. plane — an aircraft
  20. leaves — lets stay
  21. pit — a fruit stone
  22. leaves — of a tree
  23. plane — a tool
  24. dip — a sauce

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