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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. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  2. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  3. There's no middle ________________.
  4. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  5. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  6. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  7. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  8. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  9. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  10. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  11. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  12. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  13. I can't ________________ this cold.
  14. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  15. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  16. Did you ________________ the meat?
  17. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  18. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  19. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  20. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  21. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  22. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  23. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  24. The train ________________ at six o'clock.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — before a funeral
  2. season — of the year
  3. ground — a position
  4. chest — a box
  5. wake — to stop sleeping
  6. dip — to sink
  7. dip — to dunk
  8. cap — a lid
  9. dip — a sauce
  10. ground — the earth
  11. chest — of your body
  12. cap — of ice
  13. stand — to bear
  14. stand — for spectators
  15. stand — on your feet
  16. season — to add flavour
  17. wake — a trail
  18. ground — crushed
  19. chest — of your body
  20. cap — a hat
  21. leaves — lets stay
  22. leaves — of a tree
  23. season — in sport
  24. leaves — to go away

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