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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. When are we going to ________________?
  2. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  3. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  4. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  5. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  6. David sat on the ________________.
  7. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  8. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  9. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  10. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  11. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  12. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  13. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  14. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  15. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  16. False peace will not ________________.
  17. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  18. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  19. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  20. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  21. How do you ________________ your surname?
  22. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  23. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  24. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.

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

Answer key

  1. land — to come down
  2. last — finally
  3. lean — thin
  4. land — ground
  5. dip — to sink
  6. swing — to play on
  7. cap — of ice
  8. swing — in golf
  9. spell — magic
  10. cap — a hat
  11. mouse — the animal
  12. lean — to rest against
  13. spell — a short time
  14. mouse — the animal
  15. swing — music
  16. last — to go on
  17. cap — a lid
  18. dip — to dunk
  19. land — a country
  20. mouse — for a computer
  21. spell — letters
  22. dip — a sauce
  23. last — final
  24. lean — to bend

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