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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 120 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. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  3. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  4. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  5. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  6. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  7. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  8. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  9. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  10. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  11. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  12. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  13. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  14. How do you ________________ your surname?
  15. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  16. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  17. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  18. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  19. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  20. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  21. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  22. The water is too ________________.
  23. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  24. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. dip — a sauce
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. leaves — of a tree
  5. dip — to sink
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. cold — an illness
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. spell — a short time
  10. spell — magic
  11. chip — in a computer
  12. dip — to dunk
  13. fan — to cool the air
  14. spell — letters
  15. chip — to eat
  16. pit — a hole
  17. pit — in a race
  18. chip — for betting
  19. leaves — to go away
  20. leaves — lets stay
  21. cold — the Cold War
  22. cold — not warm
  23. stick — to attach or keep to
  24. pit — a fruit stone

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