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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.

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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. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  2. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  3. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  4. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  5. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  6. The water is too ________________.
  7. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  8. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  9. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  10. The ________________ market has crashed.
  11. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  12. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  13. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  14. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  15. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  16. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  17. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  18. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — to dunk
  2. stock — a soup base
  3. fall — the season
  4. fall — to drop
  5. dip — to sink
  6. cold — not warm
  7. cue — a signal
  8. fall — to drop
  9. lash — to lash out
  10. stock — shares
  11. lash — an eyelash
  12. cold — an illness
  13. cue — for pool
  14. cold — the Cold War
  15. cue — a hint
  16. stock — goods
  17. lash — a whip stroke
  18. dip — a sauce

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