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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. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  2. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  3. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  4. We're almost out of ________________.
  5. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  6. It's one o'clock ________________.
  7. The water is too ________________.
  8. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  9. False peace will not ________________.
  10. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  11. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  12. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  13. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  14. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  15. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  16. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  17. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  18. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  19. David sat on the ________________.
  20. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  21. You don't need to ________________ round.
  22. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  23. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  24. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — to turn a key
  2. dip — a sauce
  3. fine — a penalty
  4. pop — soda
  5. dip — to dunk
  6. sharp — exactly
  7. cold — not warm
  8. last — final
  9. last — to go on
  10. cold — an illness
  11. swing — music
  12. fine — all right
  13. dip — to sink
  14. pop — music
  15. cold — the Cold War
  16. sharp — clever
  17. swing — in golf
  18. wind — moving air
  19. swing — to play on
  20. sharp — with an edge
  21. pop — to visit
  22. fine — high quality
  23. last — finally
  24. wind — moving air

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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