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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. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  2. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  3. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  4. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  5. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  6. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  7. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  8. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  9. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  10. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  11. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  12. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  13. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  14. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  15. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  16. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  17. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  18. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  19. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  20. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  21. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  22. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  23. The water is too ________________.
  24. The players ran onto the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — a trace
  2. cold — an illness
  3. toast — a drink to someone
  4. dip — to sink
  5. mark — a grade
  6. wind — moving air
  7. toast — the most admired
  8. mark — to pay attention
  9. mine — an explosive
  10. pitch — a sales talk
  11. rule — to rule out
  12. mine — belonging to me
  13. dip — to dunk
  14. pitch — completely
  15. cold — the Cold War
  16. wind — moving air
  17. wind — to turn a key
  18. dip — a sauce
  19. toast — bread
  20. rule — government
  21. rule — a law
  22. mine — for digging
  23. cold — not warm
  24. pitch — a sports field

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