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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 lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  2. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  3. False peace will not ________________.
  4. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  5. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  6. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  7. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  8. How do you ________________ your surname?
  9. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  10. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  11. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  12. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  13. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  14. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  15. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  16. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  17. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  18. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  19. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  20. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  21. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  22. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  23. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  24. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — a box
  2. dip — to sink
  3. last — to go on
  4. fine — high quality
  5. fall — to drop
  6. last — finally
  7. spell — a short time
  8. spell — letters
  9. stem — of a plant
  10. fine — a penalty
  11. stem — to come from
  12. spell — magic
  13. stem — a stem cell
  14. fine — all right
  15. fall — the season
  16. chest — of your body
  17. can — a tin
  18. can — a tin
  19. dip — to dunk
  20. dip — a sauce
  21. can — to be able to
  22. last — final
  23. chest — of your body
  24. fall — to drop

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