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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 116 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. My mare is ________________ in color.
  3. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  4. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  5. The King held a masked ________________.
  6. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  7. I'll be taking the ________________.
  8. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  9. The water is too ________________.
  10. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  11. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  12. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  13. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  14. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  15. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  16. It's one o'clock ________________.
  17. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  18. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  19. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  20. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  21. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  22. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  23. This piece is in a major ________________.
  24. Hard work is the ________________ to success.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — to dunk
  2. bay — a horse colour
  3. sharp — clever
  4. cold — an illness
  5. ball — a dance
  6. ball — a round shape
  7. tube — the underground
  8. wave — of the sea
  9. cold — not warm
  10. ball — a great time
  11. bay — a part of the sea
  12. sharp — with an edge
  13. tube — in a tire
  14. wave — with your hand
  15. dip — to sink
  16. sharp — exactly
  17. bay — to keep at bay
  18. wave — a sudden rise
  19. cold — the Cold War
  20. key — for a lock
  21. tube — a container
  22. dip — a sauce
  23. key — in music
  24. key — the most important part

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