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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. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  2. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  3. When was this ________________ built?
  4. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  5. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  6. My mare is ________________ in color.
  7. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  8. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  9. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  10. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  11. The water is too ________________.
  12. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  13. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  14. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  15. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  16. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  17. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  18. Have you met the new head ________________?
  19. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  20. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  21. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  22. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  23. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  24. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — to tease
  2. cold — the Cold War
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. dip — a sauce
  5. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  6. bay — a horse colour
  7. bass — the instrument
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. bay — to keep at bay
  10. cue — for pool
  11. cold — not warm
  12. coach — pulled by horses
  13. bass — low music
  14. temple — a place of worship
  15. dip — to dunk
  16. bass — the fish
  17. cue — a hint
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. bay — a part of the sea
  20. dip — to sink
  21. cue — a signal
  22. cold — an illness
  23. temple — side of the head
  24. kid — child

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