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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. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  2. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  3. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  4. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  5. Did you ________________ the meat?
  6. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  7. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  8. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  9. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  10. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  11. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  12. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  13. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  14. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  15. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  16. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  17. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  18. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  19. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  20. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  21. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  22. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  23. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  24. Should I buy a wireless ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. fall — the season
  3. spring — of water
  4. dip — a sauce
  5. season — to add flavour
  6. season — in sport
  7. cap — a lid
  8. dip — to dunk
  9. fall — to drop
  10. cap — of ice
  11. season — of the year
  12. fall — to drop
  13. cap — a hat
  14. spring — a coil
  15. bass — the fish
  16. dip — to sink
  17. rest — a break
  18. rest — what's left
  19. bass — low music
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. mouse — the animal
  22. spring — the season
  23. bass — the instrument
  24. mouse — for a computer

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