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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. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  2. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  3. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  4. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  5. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  6. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  7. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  8. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  9. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  10. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  11. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  12. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  13. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  14. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  15. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  16. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  17. The water is too ________________.
  18. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  19. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  20. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  21. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  22. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  23. Did you ________________ the button?
  24. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — to dunk
  2. wound — an injury
  3. cue — for pool
  4. can — to be able to
  5. wound — an injury
  6. cold — the Cold War
  7. dip — to sink
  8. rule — a law
  9. can — a tin
  10. press — a publisher
  11. cold — an illness
  12. rule — to rule out
  13. can — a tin
  14. press — newspapers
  15. rule — government
  16. vault — a safe
  17. cold — not warm
  18. cue — a hint
  19. vault — an arched ceiling
  20. cue — a signal
  21. wound — past of 'wind'
  22. dip — a sauce
  23. press — to push
  24. vault — in gymnastics

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