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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. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  2. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  3. The water is too ________________.
  4. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  5. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  6. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  7. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  8. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  9. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  10. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  11. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  12. He is an ace ________________.
  13. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  14. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  15. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  16. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  17. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  18. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  19. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  20. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  21. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  22. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  23. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  24. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — to succeed
  2. wave — with your hand
  3. cold — not warm
  4. mine — an explosive
  5. mouse — for a computer
  6. mine — for digging
  7. mouse — the animal
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. pass — a permit
  10. wave — a sudden rise
  11. mine — belonging to me
  12. pitcher — in baseball
  13. wave — of the sea
  14. dip — a sauce
  15. cold — the Cold War
  16. cue — a signal
  17. dip — to sink
  18. cue — a hint
  19. pass — to spend time
  20. cold — an illness
  21. mouse — the animal
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. cue — for pool
  24. dip — to dunk

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