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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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468
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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. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  3. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  4. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  5. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  6. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  7. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  8. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  9. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  10. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  11. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  12. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  13. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  14. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  15. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  16. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  17. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  18. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  19. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  20. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  21. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  22. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  23. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  24. The people resisted their cruel ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — to dunk
  2. foot — a measure
  3. foot — part of the body
  4. wind — to turn a key
  5. dip — a sauce
  6. jam — in traffic
  7. pit — in a race
  8. pit — a fruit stone
  9. ruler — for measuring
  10. leaves — of a tree
  11. dip — to sink
  12. pit — a hole
  13. bat — in an idiom
  14. bat — for baseball
  15. jam — a tight spot
  16. bat — the animal
  17. leaves — lets stay
  18. jam — to spread on bread
  19. leaves — to go away
  20. foot — the bottom
  21. ruler — for measuring
  22. wind — moving air
  23. wind — moving air
  24. ruler — a monarch

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