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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. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  2. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  3. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  4. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  5. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  6. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  7. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  8. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  9. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  10. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  11. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  12. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  13. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  14. He works in a ________________ mill.
  15. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  16. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  17. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  18. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  19. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  20. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  21. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  22. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  23. She's very handy with a ________________.
  24. False peace will not ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — to sink
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. staff — employees
  4. staff — a stick
  5. bat — in an idiom
  6. last — finally
  7. pitch — a sports field
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. last — final
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. bat — for baseball
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. saw — past of 'see'
  14. saw — the tool
  15. bat — the animal
  16. pitch — a sales talk
  17. fan — to cool the air
  18. dip — a sauce
  19. patient — calm and waiting
  20. dip — to dunk
  21. staff — employees
  22. pitch — completely
  23. saw — the tool
  24. last — to go on

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