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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. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  2. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  3. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  4. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  5. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  6. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  7. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  8. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  9. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  10. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  11. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  12. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  13. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  14. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  15. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  16. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  17. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  18. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  19. My mare is ________________ in color.
  20. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  21. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  22. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  23. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  24. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — a penalty
  2. fine — high quality
  3. wake — a trail
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. cap — of ice
  6. dip — a sauce
  7. lean — to rest against
  8. fine — all right
  9. lean — to bend
  10. cap — a hat
  11. bay — a part of the sea
  12. wake — before a funeral
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. stick — to attach or keep to
  15. fan — to cool the air
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. cap — a lid
  18. wake — to stop sleeping
  19. bay — a horse colour
  20. dip — to sink
  21. lean — thin
  22. dip — to dunk
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. bay — to keep at bay

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