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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. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  2. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  3. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  4. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  5. Where did you ________________ them?
  6. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  7. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  8. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  9. The light ________________ burned out.
  10. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  11. I've got to change the light ________________.
  12. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  13. That must've been a ________________.
  14. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  15. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  16. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  17. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  18. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  19. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  20. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  21. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  22. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  23. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  24. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — the season
  2. dip — to sink
  3. dip — a sauce
  4. rush — hurry
  5. mug — to rob
  6. field — for sport
  7. field — a subject
  8. fall — to drop
  9. bulb — for light
  10. rush — to hurry
  11. bulb — for light
  12. face — to confront
  13. rush — a thrill
  14. face — part of the head
  15. face — to point toward
  16. snap — to click
  17. snap — to speak sharply
  18. field — farmland
  19. bulb — of a plant
  20. mug — a cup
  21. dip — to dunk
  22. fall — to drop
  23. snap — to snap out of it
  24. mug — a face

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