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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. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  2. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  3. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  4. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  5. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  6. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  7. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  8. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  9. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  10. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  11. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  12. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  13. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  14. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  15. That was a fun ________________.
  16. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  17. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  18. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  19. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  20. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  21. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  22. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  23. When are we going to ________________?
  24. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — thin
  2. dip — a sauce
  3. dip — to dunk
  4. leaves — to go away
  5. leaves — of a tree
  6. fall — to drop
  7. game — a kind of play
  8. game — wild animals
  9. bowl — a football final
  10. leaves — lets stay
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. fall — to drop
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. lean — to rest against
  15. game — a match
  16. lean — to bend
  17. bowl — a dish
  18. racket — a loud noise
  19. fall — the season
  20. bowl — to roll
  21. dip — to sink
  22. land — a country
  23. land — to come down
  24. land — ground

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