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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. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  3. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  4. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  5. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  6. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  7. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  8. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  9. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  10. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  11. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  12. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  13. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  14. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  15. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  16. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  17. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  18. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  19. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  20. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  21. We're on a ________________ here.
  22. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  23. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  24. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — a sauce
  2. cap — a lid
  3. lash — an eyelash
  4. lash — to lash out
  5. roll — a list
  6. leaves — lets stay
  7. leaves — to go away
  8. present — the time now
  9. leaves — of a tree
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. march — the month
  12. march — music
  13. cap — a hat
  14. roll — a cake
  15. dip — to sink
  16. lie — to recline
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. lash — a whip stroke
  19. cap — of ice
  20. present — a gift
  21. roll — on a roll
  22. dip — to dunk
  23. march — the month
  24. present — there

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