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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. He works in a ________________ mill.
  2. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  3. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  4. The ball is in your ________________.
  5. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  6. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  7. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  8. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  9. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  10. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  11. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  12. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  13. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  14. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  15. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  16. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  17. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  18. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  19. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  20. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  21. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  22. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  23. She's very handy with a ________________.
  24. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. pit — a hole
  3. leaves — of a tree
  4. court — for sport
  5. dip — to sink
  6. court — of a king
  7. tear — to rip
  8. cap — a hat
  9. staff — employees
  10. pit — a fruit stone
  11. saw — past of 'see'
  12. leaves — to go away
  13. tear — from crying
  14. dip — to dunk
  15. cap — a lid
  16. leaves — lets stay
  17. staff — a stick
  18. court — of law
  19. tear — from crying
  20. cap — of ice
  21. dip — a sauce
  22. pit — in a race
  23. saw — the tool
  24. staff — employees

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