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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. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  2. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  3. The water is too ________________.
  4. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  5. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  6. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  7. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  8. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  9. Where did you ________________ them?
  10. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  11. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  12. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  13. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  14. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  15. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  16. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  17. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  18. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  19. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  20. David sat on the ________________.
  21. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  22. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  23. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  24. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — the Cold War
  2. dip — to dunk
  3. cold — not warm
  4. mug — a face
  5. swing — music
  6. field — for sport
  7. bass — the instrument
  8. cold — an illness
  9. mug — to rob
  10. field — a subject
  11. dip — a sauce
  12. field — farmland
  13. bore — gave birth
  14. mark — a trace
  15. bass — low music
  16. swing — in golf
  17. bass — the fish
  18. bore — to tire
  19. mark — to pay attention
  20. swing — to play on
  21. mark — a grade
  22. bore — to drill
  23. mug — a cup
  24. dip — to sink

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