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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. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  2. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  3. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  4. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  5. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  6. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  7. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  8. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  9. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  10. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  11. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  12. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  13. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  14. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  15. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  16. I can't ________________ this cold.
  17. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  18. There's no middle ________________.
  19. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  20. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  21. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  22. We're on a ________________ here.
  23. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  24. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — all right
  2. wake — to stop sleeping
  3. wake — before a funeral
  4. fine — a penalty
  5. dip — to sink
  6. cap — of ice
  7. wake — a trail
  8. cap — a hat
  9. dip — a sauce
  10. ground — the earth
  11. bore — to drill
  12. stand — on your feet
  13. dip — to dunk
  14. fine — high quality
  15. bore — gave birth
  16. stand — to bear
  17. cap — a lid
  18. ground — a position
  19. stand — for spectators
  20. ground — crushed
  21. roll — a list
  22. roll — on a roll
  23. bore — to tire
  24. roll — a cake

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