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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 cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  2. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  3. Where did you ________________ them?
  4. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  5. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  6. When will it ________________ you to start?
  7. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  8. You don't need to ________________ round.
  9. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  10. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  11. We're almost out of ________________.
  12. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  13. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  14. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  15. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  16. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  17. The water is too ________________.
  18. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  19. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  20. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  21. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  22. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  23. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  24. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.

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

Answer key

  1. suit — clothes
  2. pop — music
  3. mug — to rob
  4. mug — a cup
  5. dip — a sauce
  6. suit — to fit
  7. craft — a skill
  8. pop — to visit
  9. march — the month
  10. craft — boats
  11. pop — soda
  12. march — music
  13. stick — to attach or keep to
  14. cold — an illness
  15. cold — the Cold War
  16. suit — in cards
  17. cold — not warm
  18. mug — a face
  19. dip — to dunk
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. march — the month
  23. dip — to sink
  24. craft — a handicraft

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