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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. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  2. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  3. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  4. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  5. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  6. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  7. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  8. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  9. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  10. The water is too ________________.
  11. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  12. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  13. Don't do anything ________________.
  14. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  15. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  16. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  17. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  18. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  19. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  20. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  21. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  22. Have you found your soul ________________?
  23. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  24. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — to sink
  2. calf — of the leg
  3. cue — a hint
  4. pit — in a race
  5. pit — a hole
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. cue — a signal
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. mate — a friend
  10. cold — not warm
  11. cold — an illness
  12. branch — of a tree
  13. rash — hasty
  14. rash — a series
  15. rash — on the skin
  16. dip — to dunk
  17. pit — a fruit stone
  18. mate — to breed
  19. dip — a sauce
  20. branch — a division
  21. cue — for pool
  22. mate — a partner
  23. branch — of a bank
  24. cold — the Cold War

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