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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. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  2. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  3. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  4. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  5. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  6. The water is too ________________.
  7. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  8. False peace will not ________________.
  9. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  10. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  11. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  12. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  13. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  14. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  15. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  16. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  17. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  18. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  19. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  20. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  21. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  22. We're on a ________________ here.
  23. Have you settled on a ________________?
  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. last — finally
  3. cold — an illness
  4. dip — to dunk
  5. dip — to sink
  6. cold — not warm
  7. wake — before a funeral
  8. last — to go on
  9. sharp — with an edge
  10. wake — to stop sleeping
  11. roll — a list
  12. last — final
  13. date — on the calendar
  14. date — the fruit
  15. wake — a trail
  16. toast — the most admired
  17. dip — a sauce
  18. toast — a drink to someone
  19. toast — bread
  20. roll — a cake
  21. sharp — clever
  22. roll — on a roll
  23. date — on the calendar
  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