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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 ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  2. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  3. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  4. False peace will not ________________.
  5. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  6. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  7. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  8. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  9. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  10. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  11. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  12. When are we going to ________________?
  13. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  14. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  15. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  16. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  17. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  18. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  19. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  20. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  21. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  22. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  23. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  24. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — a sauce
  2. mark — a trace
  3. can — a tin
  4. last — to go on
  5. can — a tin
  6. bat — the animal
  7. dip — to sink
  8. land — a country
  9. last — final
  10. fine — high quality
  11. fall — to drop
  12. land — to come down
  13. bat — in an idiom
  14. can — to be able to
  15. fine — a penalty
  16. land — ground
  17. mark — a grade
  18. fine — all right
  19. last — finally
  20. fall — to drop
  21. mark — to pay attention
  22. dip — to dunk
  23. bat — for baseball
  24. fall — the season

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