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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: cap · cold · date · saw · fan · lie · present · dip

  1. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  2. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  3. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  4. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  5. The water is too ________________.
  6. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  7. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  8. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  9. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  10. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  11. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  12. He works in a ________________ mill.
  13. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  14. Have you settled on a ________________?
  15. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  16. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  17. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  18. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  19. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  20. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  21. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  22. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  23. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  24. She's very handy with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lie — an untruth
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. present — a gift
  4. dip — to sink
  5. cold — not warm
  6. fan — to cool the air
  7. cap — a lid
  8. cold — the Cold War
  9. cap — of ice
  10. dip — a sauce
  11. date — on the calendar
  12. saw — the tool
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. date — on the calendar
  15. present — the time now
  16. present — there
  17. saw — past of 'see'
  18. cold — an illness
  19. lie — to recline
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. date — the fruit
  22. cap — a hat
  23. dip — to dunk
  24. saw — the tool

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