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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 ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  2. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  3. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  4. David sat on the ________________.
  5. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  6. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  7. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  8. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  9. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  10. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  11. He is an ace ________________.
  12. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  13. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  14. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  15. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  16. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  17. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  18. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  19. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  20. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  21. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  22. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  23. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  24. The water is too ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — a sauce
  2. cold — an illness
  3. content — the amount
  4. swing — to play on
  5. content — videos and posts
  6. cue — a hint
  7. board — a flat piece
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. swing — in golf
  10. dip — to dunk
  11. pitcher — in baseball
  12. board — a committee
  13. cue — a signal
  14. swing — music
  15. straw — a straw man
  16. straw — dry grass
  17. straw — to clutch at straws
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. content — happy
  20. cold — the Cold War
  21. cue — for pool
  22. dip — to sink
  23. board — to get on
  24. cold — not warm

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