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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. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  2. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  3. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  4. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  5. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  6. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  7. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  8. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  9. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  10. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  11. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  12. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  13. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  14. Have you settled on a ________________?
  15. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  16. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  17. The ________________ market has crashed.
  18. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  19. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  20. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  21. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  22. I'll be taking the ________________.
  23. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  24. My mare is ________________ in color.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — to dunk
  2. file — a tool
  3. lean — to rest against
  4. date — the fruit
  5. tube — in a tire
  6. lean — thin
  7. bay — to keep at bay
  8. tube — a container
  9. cap — a hat
  10. stock — goods
  11. file — a line of people
  12. lean — to bend
  13. dip — to sink
  14. date — on the calendar
  15. stock — a soup base
  16. bay — a part of the sea
  17. stock — shares
  18. cap — a lid
  19. cap — of ice
  20. date — on the calendar
  21. dip — a sauce
  22. tube — the underground
  23. file — a document
  24. bay — a horse colour

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