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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.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: dip · court · file · pit · date · spell · saw · cap

  1. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  2. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  3. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  4. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  5. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  6. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  7. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  8. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  9. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  10. How do you ________________ your surname?
  11. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  12. She's very handy with a ________________.
  13. He works in a ________________ mill.
  14. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  15. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  16. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  17. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  18. The ball is in your ________________.
  19. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  20. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  21. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  22. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  23. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  24. Have you settled on a ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. file — a document
  2. dip — to dunk
  3. spell — magic
  4. pit — a hole
  5. pit — a fruit stone
  6. pit — in a race
  7. cap — a lid
  8. file — a line of people
  9. spell — a short time
  10. spell — letters
  11. file — a tool
  12. saw — the tool
  13. saw — the tool
  14. cap — a hat
  15. dip — to sink
  16. court — of a king
  17. cap — of ice
  18. court — for sport
  19. saw — past of 'see'
  20. court — of law
  21. date — the fruit
  22. date — on the calendar
  23. dip — a sauce
  24. date — on the calendar

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