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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. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  2. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  3. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  4. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  5. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  6. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  7. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  8. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  9. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  10. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  11. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  12. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  13. That must've been a ________________.
  14. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  15. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  16. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  17. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  18. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  19. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  20. David sat on the ________________.
  21. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  22. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  23. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  24. The ________________ change colour in autumn.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — hurry
  2. cap — a lid
  3. stem — to come from
  4. mark — to pay attention
  5. fine — high quality
  6. leaves — lets stay
  7. stem — of a plant
  8. swing — music
  9. cap — a hat
  10. dip — to sink
  11. rush — to hurry
  12. leaves — to go away
  13. rush — a thrill
  14. dip — to dunk
  15. mark — a grade
  16. cap — of ice
  17. fine — all right
  18. dip — a sauce
  19. stem — a stem cell
  20. swing — to play on
  21. mark — a trace
  22. fine — a penalty
  23. swing — in golf
  24. leaves — of a tree

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