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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. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  2. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  3. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  4. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  5. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  6. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  7. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  8. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  9. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  10. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  11. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  12. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  13. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  14. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  15. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  16. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  17. When are we going to ________________?
  18. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  19. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  20. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  21. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  22. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  23. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  24. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — to dunk
  2. can — a tin
  3. straw — a straw man
  4. can — a tin
  5. land — ground
  6. firm — decided
  7. leaves — to go away
  8. can — to be able to
  9. dip — to sink
  10. dip — a sauce
  11. leaves — lets stay
  12. firm — steady
  13. file — a tool
  14. lie — to recline
  15. land — a country
  16. firm — a company
  17. land — to come down
  18. file — a document
  19. straw — dry grass
  20. file — a line of people
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. leaves — of a tree
  23. straw — to clutch at straws
  24. lie — an untruth

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