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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. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  2. The water is too ________________.
  3. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  4. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  5. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  6. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  7. Did you ________________ the meat?
  8. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  9. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  10. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  11. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  12. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  13. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  14. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  15. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  16. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  17. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  18. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  19. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  20. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  21. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  22. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  23. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  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. mark — a trace
  2. cold — not warm
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. drill — army training
  5. drill — the tool
  6. lie — to recline
  7. season — to add flavour
  8. snap — to snap out of it
  9. cold — an illness
  10. spring — a coil
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. fan — to cool the air
  13. mark — a grade
  14. cold — the Cold War
  15. drill — a practice
  16. season — in sport
  17. season — of the year
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. snap — to click
  20. mark — to pay attention
  21. spring — the season
  22. snap — to speak sharply
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. spring — of water

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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