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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. She's very handy with a ________________.
  2. When are we going to ________________?
  3. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  4. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  5. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  6. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  7. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  8. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  9. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  10. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  11. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  12. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  13. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  14. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  15. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  16. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  17. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  18. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  19. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  20. He works in a ________________ mill.
  21. Have you settled on a ________________?
  22. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  23. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  24. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. land — to come down
  3. dip — to sink
  4. date — the fruit
  5. present — there
  6. dip — to dunk
  7. kid — to tease
  8. leaves — to go away
  9. dip — a sauce
  10. land — a country
  11. lash — an eyelash
  12. lash — to lash out
  13. kid — child
  14. leaves — of a tree
  15. lash — a whip stroke
  16. present — the time now
  17. date — on the calendar
  18. leaves — lets stay
  19. present — a gift
  20. saw — the tool
  21. date — on the calendar
  22. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  23. land — ground
  24. saw — past of 'see'

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