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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. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  2. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  3. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  4. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  5. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  6. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  7. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  8. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  9. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  10. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  11. The water is too ________________.
  12. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  13. It's one o'clock ________________.
  14. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  15. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  16. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  17. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  18. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  19. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  20. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  21. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  22. Did you ________________ the meat?
  23. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  24. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. can — to be able to
  2. bowl — to roll
  3. dip — to sink
  4. cold — the Cold War
  5. hide — animal skin
  6. race — the arms race
  7. sharp — clever
  8. can — a tin
  9. dip — to dunk
  10. sharp — with an edge
  11. cold — not warm
  12. dip — a sauce
  13. sharp — exactly
  14. season — of the year
  15. cold — an illness
  16. race — a contest
  17. race — humankind
  18. bowl — a dish
  19. can — a tin
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. bowl — a football final
  22. season — to add flavour
  23. hide — to keep secret
  24. season — in sport

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