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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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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. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  3. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  4. I've got to change the light ________________.
  5. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  6. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  7. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  8. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  9. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  10. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  11. The light ________________ burned out.
  12. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  13. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  14. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  15. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  16. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  17. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  18. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  19. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  20. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  21. False peace will not ________________.
  22. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  23. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  24. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!

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

Answer key

  1. dip — a sauce
  2. lash — an eyelash
  3. last — finally
  4. bulb — for light
  5. lash — to lash out
  6. bulb — of a plant
  7. lash — a whip stroke
  8. shower — a meteor shower
  9. dip — to dunk
  10. fall — to drop
  11. bulb — for light
  12. fall — to drop
  13. capital — a big letter
  14. cap — a hat
  15. cap — of ice
  16. capital — a city
  17. cap — a lid
  18. shower — rain
  19. fall — the season
  20. capital — money
  21. last — to go on
  22. dip — to sink
  23. shower — to wash
  24. last — final

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