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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.

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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. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  2. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  3. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  4. The water is too ________________.
  5. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  6. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  7. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  8. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  9. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  10. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  11. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  12. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  13. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  14. I can't ________________ this cold.
  15. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  16. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  17. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  18. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — to handle
  2. dip — a sauce
  3. cold — an illness
  4. cold — not warm
  5. stand — on your feet
  6. cold — the Cold War
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. net — for catching
  9. net — after costs
  10. lie — to recline
  11. deal — an agreement
  12. dip — to sink
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. stand — to bear
  15. dip — to dunk
  16. deal — a big deal
  17. net — in sport
  18. stand — for spectators

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