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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. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  2. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  3. What do you think of the new ________________?
  4. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  5. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  6. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  7. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  8. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  9. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  10. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  11. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  12. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  13. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  14. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  15. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  16. False peace will not ________________.
  17. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  18. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  19. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  20. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  21. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  22. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  23. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  24. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.

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

Answer key

  1. last — finally
  2. lash — to lash out
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. cap — a lid
  5. chest — of your body
  6. last — final
  7. cap — a hat
  8. net — after costs
  9. lash — a whip stroke
  10. chest — a box
  11. net — for catching
  12. pit — a hole
  13. pit — a fruit stone
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. lash — an eyelash
  16. last — to go on
  17. net — in sport
  18. chest — of your body
  19. dip — to sink
  20. dip — a sauce
  21. cap — of ice
  22. pit — in a race
  23. cabinet — a cupboard
  24. dip — to dunk

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