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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. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  2. What do you think of the new ________________?
  3. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  4. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  5. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  6. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  7. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  8. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  9. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  10. The ________________ went through the wall.
  11. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  12. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  13. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  14. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  15. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  16. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  17. False peace will not ________________.
  18. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  19. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  20. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  21. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  22. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  23. That was a fun ________________.
  24. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.

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

Answer key

  1. last — final
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. leaves — lets stay
  4. game — wild animals
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. cap — of ice
  7. leaves — to go away
  8. last — finally
  9. dip — to dunk
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. nail — on a finger
  12. pit — in a race
  13. dip — a sauce
  14. dip — to sink
  15. cap — a hat
  16. cabinet — a cupboard
  17. last — to go on
  18. leaves — of a tree
  19. cap — a lid
  20. game — a kind of play
  21. pit — a hole
  22. pit — a fruit stone
  23. game — a match
  24. cabinet — ministers

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