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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 116 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. How do you ________________ your surname?
  2. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  3. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  4. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  5. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  6. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  7. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  8. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  9. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  10. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  11. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  12. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  13. He is an ace ________________.
  14. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  15. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  16. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  17. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  18. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  19. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  20. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  21. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  22. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  23. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  24. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?

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

Answer key

  1. spell — letters
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. dip — to dunk
  4. dip — a sauce
  5. wake — to stop sleeping
  6. object — a thing
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. cap — a hat
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. cap — of ice
  11. spell — a short time
  12. object — to protest
  13. pitcher — in baseball
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. spell — magic
  16. snap — to click
  17. dip — to sink
  18. snap — to speak sharply
  19. snap — to snap out of it
  20. object — an aim
  21. wake — before a funeral
  22. wake — a trail
  23. hide — animal skin
  24. cap — a lid

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