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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 116 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. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  2. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  3. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  4. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  5. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  6. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  7. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  8. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  9. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  10. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  11. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  12. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  13. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  14. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  15. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  16. That was a fun ________________.
  17. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  18. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  19. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  20. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  21. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  22. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  23. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  24. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. fall — to drop
  3. game — wild animals
  4. rest — what's left
  5. mark — to pay attention
  6. lean — thin
  7. cap — a hat
  8. lean — to rest against
  9. rest — a break
  10. dip — to dunk
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. cap — a lid
  13. game — a kind of play
  14. dip — a sauce
  15. cap — of ice
  16. game — a match
  17. fan — to cool the air
  18. lean — to bend
  19. dip — to sink
  20. mark — a grade
  21. fall — to drop
  22. fall — the season
  23. rest — what's left
  24. mark — a trace

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