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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. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  2. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  3. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  4. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  5. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  6. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  7. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  8. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  9. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  10. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  11. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  12. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  13. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  14. Did you ________________ the button?
  15. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  16. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  17. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  18. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  19. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  20. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  21. When are we going to ________________?
  22. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  23. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  24. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — to dunk
  2. dip — a sauce
  3. pit — a hole
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. pit — a fruit stone
  7. land — a country
  8. perch — the fish
  9. fall — the season
  10. fan — to cool the air
  11. fall — to drop
  12. scale — in music
  13. dip — to sink
  14. press — to push
  15. scale — size or range
  16. scale — for weighing
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. land — ground
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. pit — in a race
  21. land — to come down
  22. press — newspapers
  23. press — a publisher
  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