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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 120 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. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  2. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  3. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  4. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  5. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  6. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  7. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  8. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  9. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  10. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  11. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  12. Don't do anything ________________.
  13. There's no middle ________________.
  14. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  15. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  16. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  17. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  18. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  19. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  20. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  21. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  22. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  23. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  24. We ________________ up on opposing sides.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — on the skin
  2. pit — a hole
  3. rash — a series
  4. dip — a sauce
  5. pit — in a race
  6. lie — to recline
  7. cap — a hat
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. ground — crushed
  11. pit — a fruit stone
  12. rash — hasty
  13. ground — a position
  14. ground — the earth
  15. hide — animal skin
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. wound — an injury
  19. cap — a lid
  20. dip — to sink
  21. cap — of ice
  22. wound — an injury
  23. dip — to dunk
  24. wound — past of 'wind'

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