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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 ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  2. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  3. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  4. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  5. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  6. The water is too ________________.
  7. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  8. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  9. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  10. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  11. There's no middle ________________.
  12. My mare is ________________ in color.
  13. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  14. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  15. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  16. When will it ________________ you to start?
  17. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  18. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  19. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  20. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  21. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  22. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  23. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  24. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — for baseball
  2. dip — to sink
  3. dip — to dunk
  4. dip — a sauce
  5. cold — the Cold War
  6. cold — not warm
  7. bat — in an idiom
  8. suit — in cards
  9. face — to point toward
  10. patient — calm and waiting
  11. ground — a position
  12. bay — a horse colour
  13. bay — to keep at bay
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. ground — crushed
  16. suit — to fit
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. face — part of the head
  19. bat — the animal
  20. ground — the earth
  21. cold — an illness
  22. suit — clothes
  23. face — to confront
  24. bay — a part of the sea

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