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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. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  2. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  3. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  4. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  5. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  6. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  7. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  8. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  9. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  10. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  11. False peace will not ________________.
  12. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  13. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  14. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  15. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  16. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  17. The water is too ________________.
  18. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  19. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  20. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  21. The tickets are free of ________________.
  22. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  23. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  24. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — to sink
  2. fan — to cool the air
  3. cold — an illness
  4. last — final
  5. spring — the season
  6. dip — a sauce
  7. charge — in control
  8. mark — a trace
  9. mouse — the animal
  10. mouse — for a computer
  11. last — to go on
  12. mark — to pay attention
  13. mark — a grade
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. charge — electricity
  16. spring — a coil
  17. cold — not warm
  18. mouse — the animal
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. dip — to dunk
  21. charge — a price
  22. last — finally
  23. cold — the Cold War
  24. spring — of water

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