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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. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  2. It's one o'clock ________________.
  3. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  4. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  5. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  6. Where did you ________________ them?
  7. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  8. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  9. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  10. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  11. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  12. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  13. Have you found your soul ________________?
  14. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  15. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  16. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  17. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  18. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  19. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  20. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  21. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  22. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  23. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  24. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — to dunk
  2. sharp — exactly
  3. cap — a hat
  4. mate — to breed
  5. mug — a cup
  6. mug — to rob
  7. mate — a friend
  8. fall — to drop
  9. sharp — clever
  10. staff — employees
  11. cap — of ice
  12. dip — to sink
  13. mate — a partner
  14. wound — past of 'wind'
  15. mug — a face
  16. wound — an injury
  17. fall — the season
  18. dip — a sauce
  19. wound — an injury
  20. sharp — with an edge
  21. staff — employees
  22. staff — a stick
  23. cap — a lid
  24. fall — to drop

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