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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. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  2. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  3. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  4. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  5. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  6. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  7. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  8. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  9. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  10. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  11. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  12. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  13. It's one o'clock ________________.
  14. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  15. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  16. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  17. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  18. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  19. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  20. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  21. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  22. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  23. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  24. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — to dunk
  2. leaves — of a tree
  3. vault — in gymnastics
  4. dip — a sauce
  5. file — a document
  6. capital — money
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. capital — a big letter
  9. leaves — to go away
  10. file — a line of people
  11. kid — child
  12. patient — calm and waiting
  13. sharp — exactly
  14. vault — a safe
  15. file — a tool
  16. vault — an arched ceiling
  17. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  18. capital — a city
  19. dip — to sink
  20. kid — to tease
  21. sharp — clever
  22. sharp — with an edge
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. leaves — lets stay

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