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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 120 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 water is too ________________.
  2. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  3. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  4. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  5. That must've been a ________________.
  6. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  7. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  8. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  9. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  10. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  11. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  12. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  13. When will it ________________ you to start?
  14. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  15. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  16. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  17. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  18. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  19. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  20. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  21. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  22. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  23. It's one o'clock ________________.
  24. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — not warm
  2. dip — a sauce
  3. rush — hurry
  4. rush — to hurry
  5. rush — a thrill
  6. wake — a trail
  7. cold — an illness
  8. band — a rubber band
  9. wake — before a funeral
  10. sharp — clever
  11. dip — to dunk
  12. suit — in cards
  13. suit — to fit
  14. firm — decided
  15. sharp — with an edge
  16. dip — to sink
  17. firm — a company
  18. band — a music group
  19. wake — to stop sleeping
  20. cold — the Cold War
  21. band — a ring
  22. firm — steady
  23. sharp — exactly
  24. suit — clothes

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