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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 116 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 water is too ________________.
  2. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  3. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  4. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  5. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  6. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  7. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  8. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  9. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  10. We're almost out of ________________.
  11. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  12. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  13. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  14. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  15. You don't need to ________________ round.
  16. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  17. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  18. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  19. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  20. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  21. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  22. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  23. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  24. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — not warm
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. bowl — to roll
  4. cold — the Cold War
  5. pop — music
  6. drill — a practice
  7. dip — a sauce
  8. stem — a stem cell
  9. dip — to dunk
  10. pop — soda
  11. bowl — a football final
  12. drill — army training
  13. current — happening now
  14. stem — to come from
  15. pop — to visit
  16. cold — an illness
  17. stem — of a plant
  18. hide — animal skin
  19. drill — the tool
  20. dip — to sink
  21. current — of water
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. bowl — a dish
  24. current — electric

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