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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. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  2. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  3. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  4. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  5. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  6. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  7. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  8. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  9. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  10. There's no middle ________________.
  11. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  12. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  13. Have you found your soul ________________?
  14. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  15. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  16. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  17. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  18. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  19. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  20. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  21. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  22. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  23. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  24. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — with your hand
  2. fall — to drop
  3. pit — a hole
  4. dip — to dunk
  5. mate — a friend
  6. fall — the season
  7. mate — to breed
  8. ground — crushed
  9. dip — a sauce
  10. ground — a position
  11. hand — in cards
  12. wave — of the sea
  13. mate — a partner
  14. prune — the fruit
  15. pit — a fruit stone
  16. hand — help
  17. prune — to trim
  18. fall — to drop
  19. dip — to sink
  20. hand — part of the body
  21. prune — to trim
  22. ground — the earth
  23. wave — a sudden rise
  24. pit — in a race

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