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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 polar ice ________________ is melting.
  2. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  3. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  4. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  5. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  6. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  7. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  8. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  9. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  10. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  11. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  12. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  13. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  14. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  15. Did you ________________ the meat?
  16. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  17. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  18. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  19. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  20. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  21. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  22. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  23. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  24. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — of ice
  2. spring — a coil
  3. chest — a box
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. dip — to dunk
  6. fine — a penalty
  7. dip — to sink
  8. stick — to attach or keep to
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. cap — a hat
  12. chest — of your body
  13. cap — a lid
  14. spring — the season
  15. season — to add flavour
  16. chest — of your body
  17. season — of the year
  18. fine — all right
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. fan — to cool the air
  21. season — in sport
  22. fine — high quality
  23. spring — of water
  24. dip — a sauce

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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