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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.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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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. The water is too ________________.
  2. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  3. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  4. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  5. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  6. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  7. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  8. Where did you ________________ them?
  9. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  10. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  11. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  12. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  13. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  14. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  15. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  16. What do you think of the new ________________?
  17. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  18. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  19. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  20. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  21. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  22. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  23. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  24. Have you settled on a ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. cold — not warm
  2. dip — a sauce
  3. bass — low music
  4. dip — to sink
  5. date — the fruit
  6. bowl — a dish
  7. cold — the Cold War
  8. mug — to rob
  9. bowl — a football final
  10. cold — an illness
  11. dip — to dunk
  12. mug — a cup
  13. cabinet — a cupboard
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. bass — the instrument
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. mug — a face
  18. date — on the calendar
  19. bowl — to roll
  20. bass — the fish
  21. can — a tin
  22. can — to be able to
  23. can — a tin
  24. date — on the calendar

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