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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. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  2. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  3. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  4. The ________________ went through the wall.
  5. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  6. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  7. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  8. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  9. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  10. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  11. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  12. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  13. Have you found your soul ________________?
  14. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  15. Have you met the new head ________________?
  16. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  17. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  18. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  19. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  20. When are we going to ________________?
  21. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  22. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  23. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  24. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?

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

Answer key

  1. dip — a sauce
  2. cap — a hat
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. spring — a coil
  6. file — a line of people
  7. land — a country
  8. spring — the season
  9. mate — to breed
  10. file — a document
  11. nail — on a finger
  12. land — ground
  13. mate — a partner
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. spring — of water
  17. coach — pulled by horses
  18. file — a tool
  19. dip — to sink
  20. land — to come down
  21. cap — of ice
  22. dip — to dunk
  23. cap — a lid
  24. mate — a friend

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