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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. It's one o'clock ________________.
  2. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  3. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  4. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  5. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  6. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  7. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  8. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  9. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  10. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  11. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  12. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  13. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  14. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  15. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  16. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  17. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  18. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  19. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  20. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  21. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  22. The water is too ________________.
  23. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  24. The polar ice ________________ is melting.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — exactly
  2. sharp — with an edge
  3. leaves — of a tree
  4. dip — to sink
  5. hide — animal skin
  6. cold — the Cold War
  7. fall — to drop
  8. fall — the season
  9. fine — a penalty
  10. fine — all right
  11. cap — a hat
  12. leaves — to go away
  13. cold — an illness
  14. dip — to dunk
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. fall — to drop
  17. dip — a sauce
  18. cap — a lid
  19. sharp — clever
  20. leaves — lets stay
  21. fine — high quality
  22. cold — not warm
  23. hide — to keep secret
  24. cap — of ice

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