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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 120 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. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  2. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  3. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  4. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  5. My mare is ________________ in color.
  6. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  7. When will it ________________ you to start?
  8. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  9. The water is too ________________.
  10. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  11. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  12. When are we going to ________________?
  13. I've got to change the light ________________.
  14. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  15. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  16. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  17. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  18. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  19. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  20. He is an ace ________________.
  21. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  22. The light ________________ burned out.
  23. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  24. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — to dunk
  2. dip — a sauce
  3. cold — the Cold War
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. bay — a horse colour
  6. bay — to keep at bay
  7. suit — to fit
  8. land — a country
  9. cold — not warm
  10. leaves — to go away
  11. suit — clothes
  12. land — to come down
  13. bulb — for light
  14. cold — an illness
  15. leaves — of a tree
  16. bulb — of a plant
  17. bay — a part of the sea
  18. suit — in cards
  19. leaves — lets stay
  20. pitcher — in baseball
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. bulb — for light
  23. dip — to sink
  24. land — ground

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