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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. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  2. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  3. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  4. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  5. That was ________________ to happen.
  6. David sat on the ________________.
  7. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  8. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  9. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  10. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  11. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  12. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  13. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  14. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  15. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  16. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  17. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  18. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  19. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  20. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  21. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  22. The tickets are free of ________________.
  23. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  24. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — to sink
  2. charge — electricity
  3. leaves — to go away
  4. bat — for baseball
  5. bound — certain
  6. swing — to play on
  7. swing — in golf
  8. fall — to drop
  9. dip — to dunk
  10. leaves — of a tree
  11. bound — obliged
  12. swing — music
  13. bat — in an idiom
  14. field — farmland
  15. bat — the animal
  16. field — a subject
  17. field — for sport
  18. charge — in control
  19. leaves — lets stay
  20. fall — the season
  21. fall — to drop
  22. charge — a price
  23. dip — a sauce
  24. bound — tied together

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