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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. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  2. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  3. When are we going to ________________?
  4. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  5. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  6. My father caught me by the ________________.
  7. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  8. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  9. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  10. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  11. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  12. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  13. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  14. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  15. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  16. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  17. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  18. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  19. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  20. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  21. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  22. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  23. Did you ________________ the meat?
  24. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — a sauce
  2. land — a country
  3. land — to come down
  4. scale — for weighing
  5. scale — in music
  6. arm — part of the body
  7. land — ground
  8. dip — to dunk
  9. mark — to pay attention
  10. mark — a trace
  11. fall — the season
  12. season — in sport
  13. arm — part of the body
  14. arm — a part of something
  15. mark — a grade
  16. fall — to drop
  17. wake — before a funeral
  18. scale — size or range
  19. wake — to stop sleeping
  20. season — of the year
  21. dip — to sink
  22. fall — to drop
  23. season — to add flavour
  24. wake — a trail

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