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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 116 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. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  2. The water is too ________________.
  3. This piece is in a major ________________.
  4. He works in a ________________ mill.
  5. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  6. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  7. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  8. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  9. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  10. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  11. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  12. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  13. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  14. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  15. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  16. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  17. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  18. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  19. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  20. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  21. She's very handy with a ________________.
  22. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  23. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  24. Where did you ________________ them?

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

Answer key

  1. dip — to sink
  2. cold — not warm
  3. key — in music
  4. saw — the tool
  5. fall — to drop
  6. perch — the fish
  7. saw — past of 'see'
  8. net — for catching
  9. dip — a sauce
  10. net — after costs
  11. mug — a cup
  12. dip — to dunk
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. key — for a lock
  15. net — in sport
  16. cold — an illness
  17. key — the most important part
  18. mug — a face
  19. fall — to drop
  20. cold — the Cold War
  21. saw — the tool
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. fall — the season
  24. mug — to rob

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