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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.

Make a worksheet

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. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  2. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  3. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  4. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  5. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  6. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  7. She's very handy with a ________________.
  8. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  9. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  10. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  11. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  12. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  13. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  14. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  15. That must've been a ________________.
  16. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  17. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  18. He works in a ________________ mill.
  19. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  20. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  21. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  22. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  23. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  24. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — hurry
  2. cap — of ice
  3. cap — a lid
  4. leaves — to go away
  5. wake — to stop sleeping
  6. board — a flat piece
  7. saw — the tool
  8. dip — to dunk
  9. saw — past of 'see'
  10. wake — a trail
  11. dip — a sauce
  12. perch — the fish
  13. wake — before a funeral
  14. rush — to hurry
  15. rush — a thrill
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. leaves — of a tree
  18. saw — the tool
  19. board — to get on
  20. leaves — lets stay
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. cap — a hat
  23. dip — to sink
  24. board — a committee

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