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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. Where did you ________________ them?
  2. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  3. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  4. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  5. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  6. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  7. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  8. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  9. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  10. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  11. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  12. The ________________ went through the wall.
  13. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  14. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  15. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  16. It's one o'clock ________________.
  17. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  18. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  19. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  20. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  21. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  22. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  23. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  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. mug — to rob
  2. dip — to dunk
  3. fall — the season
  4. nail — on a finger
  5. lash — an eyelash
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. cap — a hat
  8. dip — a sauce
  9. fall — to drop
  10. dip — to sink
  11. mug — a cup
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. bowl — to roll
  14. mug — a face
  15. fall — to drop
  16. sharp — exactly
  17. cap — of ice
  18. lash — a whip stroke
  19. bowl — a football final
  20. bowl — a dish
  21. lash — to lash out
  22. sharp — clever
  23. sharp — with an edge
  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