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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. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  2. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  3. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  4. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  5. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  6. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  7. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  8. The water is too ________________.
  9. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  10. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  11. The tickets are free of ________________.
  12. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  13. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  14. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  15. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  16. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  17. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  18. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  19. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  20. False peace will not ________________.
  21. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  22. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  23. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  24. Many English words ________________ from Latin.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — to dunk
  2. mine — an explosive
  3. dip — a sauce
  4. stem — of a plant
  5. stem — a stem cell
  6. cold — the Cold War
  7. march — music
  8. cold — not warm
  9. last — finally
  10. mine — for digging
  11. charge — a price
  12. jam — a tight spot
  13. march — the month
  14. charge — in control
  15. dip — to sink
  16. jam — to spread on bread
  17. last — final
  18. cold — an illness
  19. mine — belonging to me
  20. last — to go on
  21. jam — in traffic
  22. march — the month
  23. charge — electricity
  24. stem — to come from

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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