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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. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  2. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  3. I've got to change the light ________________.
  4. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  5. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  6. The light ________________ burned out.
  7. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  8. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  9. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  10. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  11. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  12. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  13. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  14. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  15. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  16. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  17. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  18. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  19. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  20. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  21. There's no middle ________________.
  22. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  23. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  24. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — to sink
  2. cap — of ice
  3. bulb — for light
  4. cap — a hat
  5. ground — the earth
  6. bulb — for light
  7. rest — a break
  8. chair — a professorship
  9. rest — what's left
  10. chair — a leader
  11. pit — a hole
  12. dip — to dunk
  13. file — a line of people
  14. cap — a lid
  15. ground — crushed
  16. rest — what's left
  17. pit — a fruit stone
  18. file — a document
  19. pit — in a race
  20. dip — a sauce
  21. ground — a position
  22. file — a tool
  23. chair — to sit on
  24. bulb — of a plant

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