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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. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  2. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  3. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  4. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  5. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  6. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  7. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  8. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  9. Where did you ________________ them?
  10. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  11. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  12. The ________________ went through the wall.
  13. We're almost out of ________________.
  14. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  15. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  16. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  17. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  18. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  19. The water is too ________________.
  20. You don't need to ________________ round.
  21. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  22. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  23. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  24. It's one o'clock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — the Cold War
  2. spring — the season
  3. sharp — clever
  4. pit — a hole
  5. dip — to sink
  6. dip — a sauce
  7. spring — of water
  8. sharp — with an edge
  9. mug — to rob
  10. spring — a coil
  11. pit — a fruit stone
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. pop — soda
  14. nail — on a finger
  15. mug — a cup
  16. pop — music
  17. mug — a face
  18. dip — to dunk
  19. cold — not warm
  20. pop — to visit
  21. cold — an illness
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. pit — in a race
  24. sharp — exactly

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